The Forbidden Clow~*
by Manda-chan
Summary: Chapter 10 Minna-san! ^.^ Sakura has confessed! What will Syaoran do now? And how is Meiling going to fit into all of this? You'll be SURPRISED, Minna-san, I can promise you that!! R&R please! Arigato! ^.^
1. The Forbidden Clow: Unexpected Reactions

Nihao Minna-san!  This is my first CCS "series" fic (at least, it will be if you think I should continue).  It's mainly about some new Clow cards, but it focuses a lot 

on S+S (how can I write a fic without them? ^_^ They're just too Kawaii!!). To tell you more would give away some of my plot, so I'll just shut up and start the story ^_^ 

Reviews are important for this one, so I know whether or not to continue!! Arigato! 

~Manda-chan

THE FORBIDDEN CLOW

"...What's going on?" 

Sakura Kinomoto stood in front of the brightly lit Tokyo tower, gazing at the enormous full moon.  

"What are you trying to tell me?"

Suddenly, a Clow card floated down from the sky and gently landed on the ground next to her.  Overwhelmed with curiosity, she bent down to pick it up.  She gasped when she saw it and retracted slightly.

"A black Clow card?"

She apprehensively held her hand out toward the card, almost fearing what might happen if she picked it up.  Her shaky hand slowly inched closer to the card and finally grasped it.  Relief flooded over her when nothing happened.  She stood back up and gazed intently at the almost-normal looking Clow card (except for the black background instead of the usual red). Her eyes widened when she flipped the card over.  It was blank.

"I don't get it...what does this mean?" she half-whispered into the wind.

A soft noise, like a ring, alerted her senses and she turned toward the tower.  There, at front and center, stood Syaoran in his traditional cardcaptoring robes, his face shrouded in shadow. The robes were silently billowing in the wind, the bells on the ends jingling just barely enough to be heard.  Although his face was in shadow, his piercing amber-colored eyes stood out, gazing at her from across the open space.

"Syaoran..." Sakura mumbled, moving closer to the tower, "What does this mean?  

Why are you here?"

Lips parted, he began to speak.  But all Sakura could hear was faint whispers of inaudible words.

"I don't get it!  What are you trying to say?  Please answer me!" She begged.

But he only stood there, staring at her in silence.

"Tell me what's going on!!!" 

                        *************************

"Tell me what's going on..."

Kero woke up from his peaceful slumber at the sound of his mistress's voice.  He pushed his drawer open slightly and peeked over the top of it.  Sakura was flailing wildly in her sleep and reaching her arms out above her.

"You've got to tell me what's going on..." she mumbled.

"Sakura?" Kero questioned, floating toward her silently.

He hovered just a few inches above her and looked down on her with concern.  Her expression seemed somewhat troubled and that worried the miniature guardian beast.

"Sakura? Sakura!" he pleaded, gently pulling on a lock of her auburn hair.

            Yet she still seemed oblivious to his presence, continuing to dream.  So Kero flew down to her ear level, took a deep breath, and screamed in her ear.

"SAKURA!!! WAKE UP!!" 

This effectively lulled Sakura out of her dreamland and she yelped in surprise, immediately sitting up straight.

"Huh?! Wha..." she questioned, looking around.

"Down here."  Kero said, waving to her from her pillow.

"Kero-chan?" she asked, eye's widening a little, "What's wrong?"

Kero took flight and suspended his yellow mouse-like body a few inches from her face.

"You were talking in your sleep and thrashing around in your bed, which woke me up.  That's what's wrong." he said, crossing his arms in front of him.

At the mention of his words, the dream flooded back to her mind.

"That's right...I had a weird dream, Kero-chan." she said, looking out her 

window where the sun was slowly coming up over the horizon.

"Care to fill me in on the details?" Kero asked.

She turned to him, still deep in thought.

"It was like the old dreams I used to have." she explained, "The full moon, Tokyo tower...but there was this Clow card that appeared and it was...black.  Then I saw that it was blank and-"

"Did you say "Black Clow card"?" Kero interrupted, sounding almost frightened.

"H-hai," she confirmed, giving him the eyebrow, "Doushite?"

Kero flew off into the corner and began whispering to himself furiously.  Sakura could only catch a few whispers of "could it be...clow...forbidden..."

'Does Kero-chan know what my dream is about?' she wondered.

"What is it Kero-chan?" she asked, "Do you know something about a black Clow card?"

He was about to answer, but a figure suddenly burst into the room, causing him to go into 'stuffed animal mode'.

"KAIJUU!! Are you up yet?" Toya yelled.

"Hai onnisan!  I'm getting up! And I'm NOT a kaijuu!" Sakura covered, hoping he didn't notice Kero fall onto her desk with a small *thump*.

However, Toya did hear this, and immediately turned to the desk by the window.  Kero sweat-dropped and tried to stay as still as possible. Toya glared at the toy.  He had a strange feeling about that thing for quite some time now.

"I said I was up!!" Sakura yelled, desperately trying to get him out.

Toya turned and went for the door, but not before giving one more glance to the inanimate Kero, who continued to sweat-drop nervously.  As he shut the door, Kero slumped on the desk and Sakura let out a huge sigh.

"Kero-chan, you've got to be more careful!" she reprimanded quietly, "That was cutting it close there!"

"Like I just KNOW when he's going to burst in or something!" Kero shot back indignantly.

Sakura sweat-dropped.

"Gomen, Kero-chan.  Just try to be a little more careful."

"Hai, hai." he agreed.

Sakura looked over at her bedside clock and gasped.

"HOE!!  I'm going to be late!!"

She quickly hopped out of bed and hurried to get her uniform on and get her things ready for school.  As she ran out her bedroom door, Kero floated to the game counsel in the corner.

"Gonna' beat that boss today...la de da." he hummed as he switched on the TV.

"Here's your lunch, Sakura." Fujitaka said with a smile, handing her a small paper bag, "Now you'd better hurry, you don't want to be late!"

"Arigato otousan!!" she said, giving him a hug.

"Alright. See you later."

Sakura hurriedly snapped on her roller blades and dashed out of her house at top speed.  She waved to Yukito and her brother as she zoomed past them.  Sadly, she didn't have enough time to skate alongside them today.  She entered the school and sped straight to her locker.  She quickly opened it, deposited her skates inside, grabbed her Math book, and slammed the locker shut.  

'Don't ring! Don't ring!!' she pleaded urgently, running to the classroom as fast as she could.  The bell rang about five seconds after she entered the room.  She sighed heavily, walking to her desk and promptly slumping into it.  She was still panting from the prior loss of breath and laid her head on her desk.  Tomoyo gave her friend the eyebrow and a worried look.

"Ohayo, Sakura-chan." the dark-haired girl greeted with her usual cheerfulness, "I understand you being late and all, but you don't usually don't cut it THAT close."

"Ohayo, Tomoyo-chan..." Sakura greeted in a tired manner, "Gomen, I just had a strange dream last night and I guess I was a little out of it this morning." 

"A strange dream?" a deep voice questioned from behind.

Sakura did a 180 and found herself looking into a pair of serious amber eyes. 

She blushed pink at the sight of him.

"...H-hai, I had a weird dream last night." she said, averting her eyes to the window to hopefully hide the redness of her face, "It was about some sort of Clow card that was black."

'A black clow card?' Syaoran wondered.

"Anything else?" he prodded, hoping to get all the details.

"Yeah, you were-"

Sakura was suddenly cut off as she felt a strange tingling all over her body.  

"Sakura?" 

She couldn't answer, but as he said her name, it kept repeating over and over again in her head.  Then, without warning, she jumped up, almost knocking her desk over in the process. 

"...What? But I-"

She cut herself off in mid-sentence, realizing how stupid it would have sounded to say that she didn't stand up.

'But I didn't...' she thought, 'something in me just clicked when he spoke my name, and I jumped.'

"Is there a problem Kinomoto?" Terada-sensei asked from the front of the room, giving her a weird look.

"Iie...gomen, sensei." Sakura apologized, sitting back down, "I don't know what came over me."

            'Hoe...what was that about?  Does this perhaps have something to do with the dream I had last night?' she wondered, letting her gaze waver to the open window.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to meet Syaoran's deep amber stare once again.

"Sakura-" Syaoran started.

He was suddenly cut off as she slammed her fist down on top of his desk.  Syaoran backed up in his chair a little and gave her a concerned look.  But Sakura looked as freaked and flustered as he did.

"Gomen!!" she apologized, "I don't know what's going on, I-"

"Miss Kinomoto, Mr. Li, to the hallway immediately." Terada-sensei said, pointing toward the door, "If you have a problem, take it out there."

Sakura blushed in pure embarrassment as she and Syaoran walked out of the room.  In the hallway, Sakura sighed and leaned against the wall, letting out a large moan of frustration.

"What's going on Sakura?" Syaoran asked.

Once again, after her name was spoken, she had an unexpected, uncontrollable reaction.  This time, she lunged at Syaoran and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him.  His face turned about a million different shades of red.

"Nani?!?!" he screeched.

Sakura immediately let go of him as soon as she had control over herself again.

"Gomen, Syaoran-kun!!  I don't know what's wrong with me!!"  Sakura apologized, looking even redder than him,  "I seem to be having this weird reaction to something all of a sudden and I can't seem to control what I do!!" 

"Is it...?"

"I think we would've sensed it already if it was a Clow card." Sakura explained, "But I still can't figure out exactly what's going on."

"Well, first of all, we have to figure out exactly what the trigger to these reactions is."  Syaoran decided, becoming serious.

"All of the sudden outbursts happened after my name was said," Sakura explained, "So I think that may be the trigger."

Syaoran raised an eyebrow at her.

"Do you want to confirm that theory?" he asked.

"Hai." she nodded.

"Sakura."

She expected to kick out or something, but she actually ended up punching herself in the nose.

"Owie..." she mumbled, rubbing the front of her face.

"So, we've got to somehow stop everyone from saying your name?" 

"Yeah, unless you want to find out what else I can do." she replied sarcastically.

                        ***************************

Sakura had been dreading lunch hour.  She tried to avoid her friends as best she could, but it didn't help much.  She had already fallen flat on her face, kicked some poor boy in a very painful place, done a back flip, (although she had to admit that doing that felt kind of cool)slapped Naoko across the face, (which took some extensive explaining)pulled Tomoyo's hair, threw her Science book at Syaoran, and countless other things.  By now, she didn't have to avoid people, they were freely avoiding her.  Eriol had thought the whole ordeal was amusing and kept saying Sakura's name in odd places, causing her to lash out at either herself or others in a very peculiar ways.

Now she, Tomoyo, Syaoran, and Eriol were all walking home from school discussing the main events of the day, which almost all had something to do with Sakura's frequent outbursts.

"Did you see that?  The look on that kid's face when Sakura just pushed him off the bicycle he was riding?  And the poor kid didn't even do anything!"

"Geez. You make it sound like it's my fault, Eriol-kun." Sakura pouted.

Eriol smiled that evil smile of his.

"Of course it isn't your fault, Sakura-san."

Sakura's reactions kicked in at the sound of her name and she started choking the unsuspecting Eriol.

Soon after, Eriol was on the ground gasping for breath, Sakura was shouting apologies, Syaoran was laughing at Eriol's misfortune, and Tomoyo was taping the whole scene with a grin.

"I think I'll call this 'Sakura's-'"

Tomoyo suddenly clamped a hand over her mouth, realizing what she just did.  Sakura elbowed Syaoran in the side.

"Gomen, Syaoran-kun!" Sakura apologized, "I really hope Kero-chan knows what's going on. I don't think I can go through another day like this."

"Neither can we." the three said in unison.

Sakura sweat-dropped.

                        **************************

"...Maybe I'll tell you." Kero decided.

"Hey!  What do you mean, 'maybe', Kero-chan?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"Well," he said, turning toward her, "you have to do something for me first."

"And that would be?"

"I believe you're having pudding for desert tonight..." Kero stated, smirking, "All you have to do is bring me some pudding."

"What would you do if I added cake and a chocolate bar?" Sakura asked slyly.

Kero's beady eyes turned into saucers.

"OOOOoooooooo!! I'll tell you anything you want!"

Sakura smiled.

"Then I guess it's agreed."

Sakura hummed a happy tune all the way downstairs.  What was losing a few sweets if she could actually get Kero to tell her what was going on?

'He sure does have a soft spot for sweet foods though...' she thought, grabbing a chocolate bar from the bottom drawer of the fridge.

She found the chocolate cake on the counter and cut a hunk of it off, placing it on a dish.  Finally, she rummaged for some pudding and added it to the assortment of goodies. 

'If this doesn't get Kero-chan to tell me, nothing will.' she thought, making her way carefully back upstairs with all the sweets.

She walked into her room and deposited all the confectionaries in front of the wide-eyed guardian beast.

"Okay, there you go." she said, gesturing toward the chocolate foods, "Now spill."

Kero sat down on the desk and motioned for her to sit down in her chair.  But before sitting down, Sakura went and shut the door.

'Just in case.' she thought.

She sat down in the chair and looked expectantly at Kero, who stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Now where should I start? Ah, yes!  The black Clow card from your dream probably has something to do with this." 

Sakura's eyes opened wide.

"Hoe?! It does?" she asked in disbelief.

"You said you saw a black Clow card in your dream, correct?"

"Yeah." Sakura confirmed.

Kero had a slightly worried facial expression for a moment, but shook it off.

"I think we're dealing with the forbidden Clow cards." he stated.

Sakura cluelessly scratched the top of her head.

"Hoe? Say that again?"

Kero sighed.

"Well, we'll start from the beginning. The forbidden clow cards were made by Clow reed just as the others were, but no one knows exactly why he made them.  Some think he was possessed or pressured into doing it, while others believe he was just plain crazy.  Whatever the case, the forbidden clow cards were somehow created." Kero explained. 

"So whatever is going on with me DOES have something to do with clow cards!" Sakura realized.

"I'm getting to that." Kero said, continuing his story, "I myself, am not sure exactly how many of these clow cards there are, but there are significantly fewer in number than the originals.  It also seems that these cards have minds of their own, which created the question of if they even WERE created by clow reed, instead of creating themselves."

Sakura was completely dumbfounded.

"Created themselves?  How is that possible?  Just what can these cards do?" 

"WHOA, whoa! Slow down there!" Kero said, backing up a little, "Save the questions for later."

Sakura nodded apologetically and sat attentive.

"The forbidden clow cards are different than the ones that you're used to capturing." he stated, making motions with his arms as he spoke, "These cards usually take advantage of an individual, whether it be body, mind, soul, or heart. That's what makes them so dangerous.  They don't focus on real pain, but go more for tearing a person apart from the inside, or taking control of their body.  Besides that, you cannot sense the presence of these cards, so you can't really do anything at all until the target is affected."

Sakura made a face.

'That's why me and Syaoran couldn't sense the card's presence...this sounds complicated.' she thought.

"Now the real shocker." Kero announced, bringing Sakura out of her thoughts, "You can't use the wand to capture these cards."

"HOEEEEEE!!!?? Then how??"

"You have to somehow manage to show the card that you're stronger than it is, that you possess a power it can't fully understand or somehow prove your worth to it.  If you can do that, the clow card will return to the card form on it's own."

"Are you saying that these clow cards actually have feelings and free will, just like normal people??" she asked curiously.

Kero nodded solemnly.

"That's why they were forbidden."

Sakura was finally beginning to understand.

"So I have to prove something to this card that's controlling me?"

Kero shrugged.

"That's the only way to capture it." 

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows in concentration as Kero's words echoed through her head.

'Prove my worth...show strength...'

"Oh yeah, you and the brat should be expecting a lot of attention from these cards.  They already know that you're the chosen cardcaptors, so they'll try to create problems for you two in particular." Kero added.

"I guess I had better tell Syaoran about this then." Sakura decided, reaching for her pink cell phone.

*Ring, ring*

"Moshi moshi, Li Syaoran speaking."

"Li-kun...we have a slight problem."

"S-sakura?" Syaoran stuttered.

'She's using my last name, something must be up.' he thought.

He heard something crash on the other line and sweat-dropped.

"Gomen, I forgot.  So, what's the problem?" he asked.

"Ouchie...Anyway I know it's late, but I wanted to talk to you about some new clow cards and-"

"I'll be right over." he intervened quickly.

*click*

Sakura sweat-dropped and put the phone down.

"I take it the brat is on his way?" Kero asked nonchalantly.

Sakura's sweat-drop grew larger.

"How'd you guess?"

"It doesn't matter." Kero stated, stuffing his face with cake and pudding, "It's probably better that we talk face to face anyway."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Sakura admitted.

'As much as I hate to admit it...' Kero thought, taking a bite out of the cake, 'that Chinese brat cares about Sakura...and I can count on him to protect her.'

A few seconds later, Sakura thought she heard voices outside of her window.  She curiously walked over to the window and opened it.  Sure enough, Toya and Syaoran were on the ground beneath her window, arguing away.

"And now you come stalking my sister from a tree!!!  Luckily for her I caught you before you made it to the window!" Toya yelled at Syaoran from down below.

"I wasn't stalking her!" Syaoran spat, "We just needed to talk about a project for school!!"

"Yeah right, brat. And I'm Santa Claus."

"Ho ho ho." Syaoran mocked.

Toya lost his patience.

"Now get your ass out of our yard before I do it for you!!"

"I HAVE TO TALK TO SAKURA!!!" Syaoran yelled.

A sudden cry of "HOOOOEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!" alerted the two young men.

Syaoran mentally kicked himself for saying her name out loud and ran to catch the girl who just fell out her window.

"Go home gaki!! And keep your grimy hands off of my sister!!" Toya demanded.

It became an all out race between the two, to see who could get to the falling Sakura first.  It was a close, but Syaoran eventually won, successfully catching Sakura in his open arms.

"Are you okay?" Syaoran asked, losing himself in her deep emerald eyes.

"H-h-hai Syaoran-kun," she nodded, "thanks to you, that is."

Sakura and Syaoran blushed simultaneously.  Toya on the other hand, looked ready to explode any moment.

"I SAID KEEP YOUR GRIMY HANDS OFF MY SISTER!!!" Toya screamed.

Sakura lowered herself from Syaoran's arms and faced Toya.

"I was expecting him onnisan." Sakura explained, "We have a Science project to work on."

"T-that gaki was telling the truth?!" Toya stammered in disbelief.

Syaoran smirked at him triumphantly and Sakura just glared at him, hands on her hips.  Without as much as another word, Toya walked into the house, leaving the two of them out there alone.  They both breathed sighs of relief.

"He's impossible..." Sakura sighed.

"Sorry about the window incident." Syaoran mumbled, scratching his head nervously, "I should've been more careful about saying your name."

"It's forgotten, Li-kun." Sakura said, smiling, "I'm just glad that you caught me before I hit the ground."

"It was nothing.  Y'know, you don't have to call me by my last name, Sa-" he cut himself off before saying the whole name.

"I know, but you're here on business, so I thought I would make it more formal."

Sakura explained.

Sakura thought she saw his expression sadden for a moment, but dismissed it as her imagination.

"C-mon!" she called, running to the front door, "Let's go upstairs."

Instead, Syaoran walked over to the tree.

"I'll meet you up there."

He gave Sakura one of his rare smiles and she nodded with a smile of her own.  As Sakura walked into her house, Syaoran likewise made his way up the tree.  

When she closed the door, she was met by Toya's angry face.  He looked behind her, then at her, back and forth, back and forth.

"Where's the gaki?" he asked suspiciously.

Sakura smiled and pointed above her.

"He said he would meet me up there."

Toya scowled and glared up the stairway.  Sakura just smiled as cheerfully as ever and pranced up the stairs.  She entered her room and found Syaoran sitting on the edge of her bed.  She cocked her head to the side and smiled at him.

"Been waiting long?"

He blinked and shook his head.

"That's good." she said, going to close the window, "I hope the overall pinkness of my room doesn't bother you."

Syaoran looked around.  She was right, almost everything was pink.  Pink walls, pink curtains, pink bedspread, pink pillows...etc.  But he didn't mind.  The color pink only made him think about her and the lovely blossoms she was named for.  And in his mind, there was nothing wrong with thinking about that.

"So the gaki is finally here?" Kero questioned, popping out of his drawer.

He and Syaoran had a brief staring war, but Sakura quickly jumped in.

"Shouldn't we explain about the situation now, Kero?" Sakura asked, hoping to break the two out of it.

Kero grunted and turned his back to Syaoran, breaking the eye contact.

"Yeah, yeah." he muttered.

                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After about a half an hour, Sakura and Kero clarified everything.

"We can do this." Syaoran decided, standing up, "As long as we work together."

Sakura nodded and assured him with a smile.

"I know we can."

"Alright!" Kero said, pumping a fist into the air, "The cardcaptors are BACK IN BUSINESS!!"

"So...what now?" Sakura asked.

Kero looked to be deep in thought.

"Do you think you can capture that card, Sakura?" Kero asked, sweat-dropping as she rammed her head against the foot of the bed.

"UMMMMMMMMM.....I think that's going to be a problem." Syaoran pointed to Sakura who was rubbing the large lump on her head.

Kero flew over to Sakura and patted her shoulder encouragingly.

"C'mon kid!  I know you can do this!  Show that card how strong you really are!" 

Syaoran put a hand on her opposite shoulder.

"I believe in you." he said, giving her a serious smile, "You've got to believe in yourself too."

Sakura felt herself smile at all the encouragement.

'They really believe in me!' 

Sakura closed her eyes and tried to concentrate completely on the card.

'Why are you doing this?' she questioned.

"Sakura?"

She felt her arms try to spring forward, but she mustered up all the strength she could to hold them back.

'You can't do this!' she insisted, 'I'm not going to hurt anyone anymore!  Do you realize how many people you hurt today?  Why can't you realize what you're doing?!'

She almost thought she felt the card give in a little, but it made a quick comeback, fighting for control over her arms.  To Kero and Syaoran, it looked like Sakura was pulling on some invisible rope.  And she was pulling as hard as she could.

'STOP IT!!!' she begged, 'What you're doing is wrong!'

Sakura took a deep breath and pulled with all her might.  Images of people flew through her mind.  The kids in the schoolyard, Nikki, Tomoyo, Syaoran, the kid on the bicycle, even Eriol.  The card had used her to attack them.

"YOU WILL NOT CONTROL ME!!!!!!!!!" she yelled, startling Kero and Syaoran.

She clenched her teeth hard and continued to pull against the force of the card.  She seemed to be tiring out, but her body slowly started glowing with a pinkish aura.

'If you really are like a human being, you have to have feelings just like we do.' she reasoned, hoping to come to a truce with the card,  'Listen to me, I can understand that you may be angry, but...I can't let you hurt the people I love.  I will protect them.' 

Sakura suddenly felt the force on her arms cease.

"Huh?"

She opened her eyes and held up her arms.

"I can-I can move!" she realized.

The glowing being in front of her suddenly caught her attention.  She gazed at the tall white animal and gasped.

"Are you the Clow card?" 

It didn't answer her, but instead touched it's nose to her hand.  Before Sakura could do anything else, the beautiful animal willing turned to card form and landed by her feet.  Sakura picked the black Clow card off the floor and turned it around to see its name.

"The...Reflex." she spoke quietly.

The card had the white fox animal on the front, with its eyes closed and it's head facing upward.  

'I did it...I proved myself to the card.'

She stared at the fox and it almost seemed to speak straight through to her mind.

'You've proven that you are worthy to don my power, I commend you cardcaptor and hereby swear my loyalty to you.' 

Sakura blinked.

'It talked to me?'

"Nice job, Sakura!! I knew you could do it!" Kero exclaimed.

Sakura turned around to face him.

"It was because you and Syaoran believed in me.  I couldn't have done it without you guys." Sakura said gratefully.

"What card is it?" Syaoran asked curiously, trying to look over her shoulder.

"The Reflex card." she stated simply.

Syaoran shrugged.

"It makes sense." he said, "Oh, and by the way, Sakura, that was a great capture."

Sakura felt herself blush a tiny bit.

'It's rare to get praise from Syaoran,' she thought, 'so I must have done good.'

"Arigato, you guys." Sakura thanked.

"Hey, we're in this together." Syaoran reminded her with a wink.

"Yeah." Sakura agreed with a cheerful nod.

"Don't get overconfident." Kero broke in.

'This is just the beginning...' he thought.

~That's the first chapter!  I hope you all enjoyed it.  I would appreciate it if you reviewed this, so I know whether or not to continue.  Criticism is appreciated also!!  I like knowing when I screw up somewhere, so I don't make the same mistake again.  Arigato for reading my fic!! ^_^ ~Manda-chan

Japanese terms: onnisan-big brother  hai-yes  arigato-thank you   hoe-a word Sakura made up  doushite-why  kaijuu-monster (what Toya always calls Sakura)  Gaki-brat (both Toya and Kero call Syaoran this, but Kero usually adds 'Chinese' before it)  otousan-daddy  gomen-sorry  nani-what  moshi moshi-a greeting used over the telephone


	2. The Forbidden Clow: To Play the Daddy

Hiya Minna-san!I hope you liked chapter 1.This is my first time

trying to create a series though, so please be gentle with flames and things

like that.Don't get me wrong, I love criticism ^_^It's extremely important

to an author when the reader doesn't understand something, or wants to give

you some pointers or something.Anyway, here's chapter 2! I thought this was a cute idea, so tell me what you think! ^_^Happy reading (I hope)!!!Reviews are definitely appreciated!Arigato!!! ~Manda-chan

The Forbidden Clow:Chapter 2 - To Play the Daddy

*RING A LING*

"Alright class, that's it for the day.Be sure to read chapter 4 for

Monday."Terada-sensei spoke as students hurried to leave the room, "Everyone

have a nice weekend!!"

"C-mon Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo waved to her friend from the door, "We're

waiting on you!"

Sakura smiled and threw her backpack over her shoulder. 

"Coming!!" she called.

She ran to catch up with her friends just as they were leaving the

building.She jumped in between Tomoyo and Syaoran in the line they had

formed.

"So what's everyone up to this weekend?" Sakura asked brightly.

"The usual." Syaoran stated nonchalantly.

Eriol just smiled in that special way of his, indicating that he

wasn't planning on telling anyone what he was going to do.

"We could go shopping, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo suggested enthusiastically,

"It's been awhile since I was able dress you up in kawaii outfits!"

Sakura sweat-dropped, but then something hit her mind.

'Tomoyo doesn't know about the black Clow cards...'

While she was debating whether or not to spill the news, she caught Syaoran's eyes for a moment.He shook his head in the negative, as if he knew what she was thinking.She raised an eyebrow at him, but he clearly gave her a look that said, "Don't".Sakura broke the eye contact and sighed.

'How long would I be able to keep a secret from Tomoyo-chan anyways?' she thought, 'She always catches on somehow.'

She snapped out of her thoughts and continued to skate slowly alongside of her friends, but something felt...strange.

'How did everyone get so tall all of a sudden?'

She looked up and caught a frantic look on Syaoran's face just before she could no longer talk or think at all.

"AGH!!! SAKURA, WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!?!" Syaoran panicked.

Tomoyo and Eriol turned around at the sound of urgency in his voice.The sight before them made them gasp out loud.

Before them sat Sakura, drowned in a pile of her clothes, staring up at them with huge green eyes.She looked to be about 1 and a half to two years old.

"What's going on here?" Syaoran asked to no one in particular.

A thought suddenly crossed his mind and he gasped.

'Could it be...a black Clow card?'

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as Tomoyo went to pick up the baby.

"Little Sakura-chan is so KAWAII!!" she squealed.

Syaoran and Eriol face-faulted.

"So..." Eriol started, "What do we do now?"

Tomoyo stopped bouncing the baby in her arms and turned to him.

"She obviously can't go home." Tomoyo stated, "We could never explain this to Mr. Kinomoto and Toya."

Eriol turned to Syaoran.

"You seem awfully calm about this all of the sudden, dear descendant." Eriol accused with a glare, "Do you perhaps know something we don't?"

Syaoran sweat-dropped.

"N-no! Of course not!" he stammered.

Now both Eriol and Tomoyo were staring him down.

"Okay, okay." Syaoran admitted, waving his hands in front of him, "Maybe I do know a little..."

"SPILL." Tomoyo demanded, in a not-so-nice way.

Syaoran sighed in defeat and told them both the deal about the black Clow cards.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"And you waited this long to tell me?!" Tomoyo asked, a little hurt.

"We've got..." Syaoran started, glancing at the little Sakura, "bigger problems..."

A few moments of silence followed, as the three seemed to be pondering what to do.

"It's simple." Tomoyo said, stepping forward with the Sakura in her arms, "Someone is going to have to take care of her."

A mischievous grin crossed Eriol's face.

"I would just LOVE to take care of little Sakura-san for the weekend!And I'm sure Nakuru and Spinel Sun wouldn't have a problem with it."

Tomoyo frowned.

"I think NOT, Eriol-kun.No offense, but I don't trust you.And I certainly don't trust Nakuru.She'll probably suffocate poor Sakura-chan with affection."

Eriol looked kind of disappointed at her decision, but nodded when he thought about Nakuru.Tomoyo sighed.

"If I can manage to hide her from my mother and keep her a secret from the maids and the others-"

"I'll do it." Syaoran broke in.

Tomoyo and Eriol looked at him like his face was painted blue.

"YOU?!?!" they asked simultaneously, in disbelief.

Syaoran crossed his arms.

"And why not?!" he asked indignantly.

"Have you ever taken care of a child?" Tomoyo asked.

Syaoran shrugged.

"No." he answered simply.

Tomoyo sweat-dropped.

"Then how would you have a clue about what to do?" she asked seriously.

"I can learn." Syaoran stated.

Eriol casually strode over to Syaoran.

"Well, dear descendant, I believe you have OTHER motives for this course of action." Eriol said slyly.

Syaoran felt his face heat up.

"W-what do you mean by that?!"

"I think you would just like to spend some QUALITY time with Sakura-san, am I right?" Eriol prodded, smiling innocently.

"T-that's...That's not it!!" Syaoran insisted, looking like a human tomato.

Tomoyo just smiled in that ever-so-sweet way of hers.

"I think it's a good idea." she decided.

"Huh?"

Tomoyo walked up to Syaoran and carefully handed him the chibi Sakura.Syaoran was fumbling like crazy, trying to figure out how he was supposed to hold her.

"Like this." she said, positioning the baby correctly in his arms, "Use your left hand to support her body, and the right one to support her head.See?"

Syaoran was still a little nervous, but as he held her there in his arms, the tension seemed to slowly drift away.He smiled down on her and she in turn smiled back at him, burying herself into the warmth of his body.Tomoyo looked on contently and leaned the side of her head on one of her hands.

"You look so kawaii together like that..." she droned, "I wish I had my camera."

Eriol and Syaoran sweat-dropped.

"Anyway," she said, snapping out of her daze, "if you need anything, just give me a call.But I think you can handle her okay on your own."

Syaoran smiled.

"I'll try." he said, walking in the direction of his apartment, "See you guys later."

As Syaoran walked away, he swore he could hear Eriol talking to Tomoyo.

"What do you suppose will happen when he gets a 3 A.M. wake up call for a diaper change?" Eriol asked.

He could hear Tomoyo giggle.

"Who knows? But I think Syaoran Li can handle it."

As the voices finally died out from distance, Syaoran saw the supermarket come into view.He looked down at Sakura, who was happily sucking her thumb.

"I guess I need to get you some food, huh?" he decided, walking through the parking lot, "I didn't carry any baby food last time I checked."

He casually strode into the store, hoping he and Sakura wouldn't get a lot of attention from other shoppers. 

'It's not very often you carry a child around, blanketed in a girl's school uniform.' he thought.

Syaoran tried to fix her shirt as a long dress for her, and let the skirt act as a blanket.Then he set her down in the child's seat of the cart and wheeled her into the store.

'First stop, Aisle 2, for baby food.' he thought.

He examined the food on the shelves and tried to pick out the foods that would do best for her health.After that, he went on to Aisle 5, to get diapers, baby wipes, clothes, bibs, the works.While he was trying to choose a diaper brand, his foot hit the cart, and unknownst to him, Sakura went flailing down the aisle on her own.

'Let's see...nope, not soft enough.Ah! This one looks good!'

He picked up a package of pink huggies and turned to put them in the cart.

"Here we go, Sakura. And I got pink just for-"

He suddenly realized that the cart was missing.He looked up and screamed.

"Sakura-chan!!! NO!! COME BACK!!!" he yelled, chasing after the racing cart.

Sakura seemed to be having the time of her life.She was laughing and waving her arms around like she was on a ride.Syaoran ran after her as fast as he could.

'No time to use a card...' he thought, sweat running down his brow, 'I have to make it before...'

Sakura was coming up fast on the wall of dairy products and the cart wasn't showing any signs of slowing down.

'Gotta make it, Gotta make it!'

He picked up his pace as much as he could and with one huge burst of speed, he leapt into the air and somersaulted, gaining just enough distance to grab the handle of the runaway cart.The cart halted and swerved, missing the wall by just about an inch.Syaoran heaved a sigh of relief and looked up to see if Sakura was okay.

She sat there, clapping her tiny hands together gleefully and bouncing in her seat.Syaoran sweat-dropped.

'She ENJOYED that?' 

He was suddenly brought to the attention of chattering and looked around.At least half of the store's customers and a few employees were staring at him and the oblivious Sakura.He shot them all death glares as if to say "What are you staring at?".Getting his drift, they all turned back to their own business.Syaoran then continued shopping.After all the essentials were bought, he went to the checkout line.

'I'm glad that's over with...' he thought, sighing tiredly.

"Gaki?!"

Syaoran felt a sudden chill and turned around.Standing directly behind him was Kinomoto Toya.

'Can this get ANY worse?!' Syaoran thought.

"Is there a problem?" he asked, glaring at the tall young man.

Toya glared back at him in reply and Syaoran was trying to block his vision of the little Sakura as best he could.

"Who's that?" Toya asked, looking over Syaoran's shoulder, "Hey! Isn't that the kid that went zooming down aisle 5?"

Syaoran narrowed his eyes at the dark-haired boy.

"And?"

`"Why would you have a kid?" he asked, looking slightly confused.

"None of your business." Syaoran stated.

"Isn't it a little EARLY for you to be having kids?" Toya accused.

"If you MUST know, she's my niece." Syaoran lied, "I'm taking care of her for the weekend."

"That's a laugh."

Syaoran growled at him.

"Mind your own damn business."

Toya looked at Sakura curiously, as if trying to figure something out.

"What?!" Syaoran demanded, blocking Toya's view of the child.

"Hmm. Nothing. I just think she looks kind of...familiar." 

Syaoran sweat-dropped and handed the cashier the correct amount of money.He then put the bags into the cart and dashed out of the store as fast as he could.

'That gaki is hiding something.' Toya thought, watching him dash away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Syaoran finally made his way to his apartment and went inside, carefully carrying everything with him.He set Sakura down on the couch and went to put the bags in the kitchen.While he was sorting everything out, Sakura started bawling.

He rushed back into the room and picked her up off the couch, gently rocking her back and forth.But she just continued to cry.

"Oh man...What do I do?" Syaoran mumbled to himself.

He nervously paced around the room, holding the girl's bawling figure.

'Maybe she's hungry.' he thought, carrying her into the kitchen.

He set her down on a chair and picked a container of carnation baby milk formula off the counter.He held it out to the baby.

"Is this what you want?"

Her crying had ceased, but she sat there sniffling.

Syaoran read the instructions and began preparing the milk.When it was finally warm enough, he poured the desired amount into one of the baby bottles he bought.He carried the bottle into the other room and set it on the table next to his favorite forest green chair.Then he went back into the kitchen and got Sakura, carefully bringing her back into the other room.He sat down in his chair and gently levitated her head in the crook of his arm, using her skirt as a pillow for her.He then took the bottle from where he had placed it and held it down to her face.She opened her mouth and he inserted the rubber top of the bottle.She wrapped her tiny hands around the bottle as best she could and began drinking the milk from the bottle.Syaoran just smiled down on her contently and brushed a strand of auburn hair from her face.

"You were just hungry, weren't you?" he asked.

She just looked at him with her large liquid emerald eyes and kept drinking.

'Don't worry, Sakura...I'll take care of you until you're able to overcome the card.' he promised.

Sakura finished about 2/3 of the milk before she pushed the bottle away.

"All done?"

Sakura let out a tiny burp in response.Syaoran chuckled.He got up from the chair and carried her and the mostly empty milk bottle back into the kitchen.He put the bottle in the sink and got some of the other things out of the shopping bags.

He took Sakura upstairs to his room and cleared off his desk.

'I never thought I'd use my desk for something like this.' he thought, spreading a sheet over the top of the wooden surface.He set Sakura down on the sheet and retrieved some clothes, baby powder, and a diaper from the bag.

'Okay...' he thought, taking a deep breath, 'I can do this.She's just a baby.I'll just try not to think of her as Sakura.'

After a few minutes, he had her successfully powdered, diapered, and changed.She now lay there in front of him, wearing a little pink bibs and a white t-shirt.

'So this is what Sakura was like when she was little.' he thought, gazing at the young girl as she played with a toy rattle.

The sudden ring of the phone jolted him out of his thoughts and he scrambled over to his bedside to answer it.

"Moshi moshi."

"Syaoran Li?" a female voice questioned from the other end.

"Daijoudi-san! Yeah, it's me." he answered.

"Oh." Tomoyo's voice sounded puzzled, "I thought your butler would have answered the phone."

"Thankfully Wei is on vacation." Syaoran explained, "So what's the problem?"

"No problems, I just wanted to check how you were doing with Sakura."

Syaoran stole a glance at Sakura from across the room and gasped.

"Hold on a sec, Daijoudi." he said quickly, dropping the phone on the bed.

He dashed over to Sakura and caught her just as she was about to fall off the desk.

"Whew.Close one." he wheezed.

He brought Sakura over with him to the bed and set her on his lap as he grabbed the phone again.But he had the strange feeling that he was being watched.

"Alright, anything else?" Syaoran asked, breaking out of his thoughts.

Tomoyo giggled, ignoring his question.

"Sounds like you have your hands full."

"I-I'm getting the hang of it." Syaoran said.

"Had any problems yet?" Tomoyo asked.

Syaoran thought back to the incident at the store and sweat-dropped.

"No, not at all!" he lied, "Everything has gone just smoothly."

"I beg to differ." Tomoyo stated knowingly, "Your first day with a baby and you're trying to tell me you had no problems what so ever?"

Syaoran sweat-dropped from his side of the line.

"Not any BIG ones, anyway."

Tomoyo laughed out loud.

"Toya told me a completely different story."

Syaoran cursed under his breath.

"I guess you made a slight mistake in the store, huh?" she asked, amused.

"..."

"Don't deny it, Li-kun. I already know."

"...damn Toya..." he mumbled.

"Shame on you, Li-kun. You shouldn't be saying words like that in front of the baby." she reprimanded.

"Why were you talking to Toya, anyway?" he asked, getting quite annoyed.

"I had to call and let him know that Sakura was staying at my house for the weekend, and he just happened to tell me that he saw you at the supermarket with a girl you claimed to be your niece." Tomoyo explained, "But he didn't need to tell me, because I already knew."

"What do you mean you 'already knew'?!" Syaoran accused.

She only laughed in response.

"Well, I just wanted to check up on you two." Tomoyo said, changing the subject, "You did change her out of her school uniform, didn't you?"

"Um, yeah."

"Everything go okay?" 

"Yes."

".......Do you like Sakura?"

Syaoran almost face-faulted, but remembered that Sakura was in his lap.

"W-where did that come from?!?!" he exploded, glad that she couldn't see his red face.

Tomoyo shrugged from the other line.

"I don't know.I guess I was just curious, that's all."

Syaoran sighed.

"It's not like that.I just want to help her deal with this Clow card." he explained.

"Whatever you say, Li-kun, whatever you say." 

"Well, I have to go Daijoudi."

"Call me if you need anything!" Tomoyo reminded him.

"I will. Ja ne."

"Ja!"

*Click*

Syaoran sighed heavily and flopped down on his back.

"Ready for a nap?" Syaoran asked, looking toward her.

Almost as if she knew what a nap was, she frowned.Syaoran snickered.

"Okay, you can take a nap later." he said, giving in to her.

She immediately brightened up and crawled up on his chest, looking down on him with her wide green eyes.Syaoran picked her up and held her above his head.

"You're smiling because you know I'll always give in to you." Syaoran teased, smiling back up at her, "I always gave into that cute look before and even though you're just a baby, it still works now."

She reached her arms down toward him and he brought her down a little farther.

"What is it?Something you want?"

She giggled, grabbed two locks of his hair in each hand, and pulled.

"YEOOWWCH!"

He put her down and gently tried to pry her death grip off his poor hair.But Sakura didn't seem to want to let go.Before she got the chance to pull again, Syaoran managed to wrench his hair free.Despite the slight pain in the roots of his hair, he laughed.

"You little devil you!" he chuckled, tapping her tiny nose with his index finger, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Syaoran turned onto his stomach and faced the little girl.

"Y'know, Sakura...I always wanted to spend a day with you." he admitted, looking deeply into her eyes, "However, this isn't quite what I had in mind."

Sakura cocked her head at him, as if trying to understand.

"I know you won't remember any of this once we've sealed the card, but I have the feeling it's going to stick with me for quite some time."

Sakura smiled shyly and leaned forward to his face, giving him a small peck on the cheek.Even though she was just a little kid, she was still Sakura, which made Syaoran blush at her forwardness.The shocked look on Syaoran's face made Sakura back up, thinking she did something wrong.Syaoran finally shook out of his daze and came to his senses.Sakura looked like she was about to cry.

"Oh, I'm not upset!" Syaoran insisted, trying to comfort her with a pat on the head.

He slowly moved his hand down to the side of her face and stroked it gently.

"You don't have to cry, Sakura.I could never be upset with you." 

She automatically cheered up again and threw her tiny arms around the back of his neck, hugging him.Syaoran smiled and gently hugged her back before pulling away.

"Do you want a piggyback ride downstairs?" he asked.

The genki Sakura just jumped up and down excitedly on his bed. 

"I take that as a yes!" he laughed.

He stood up and lifted Sakura off the bed and into the air, bringing her down on his shoulders from behind.He took hold of both of her legs on each side of his neck and started downstairs.She eventually grabbed hold of his hair for balance, so as not to teeter to far to one side.He brought her all the way into the kitchen and got some of the baby foods out from the bags with one of his hands.He set the food down on the table and put Sakura next to it. 

"I don't have a high-chair, so we'll have to make do with the table for now." he explained.

He retrieved a spoon from a drawer by the sink and pulled a chair out from the table, sitting in front of Sakura. Next he put a cute teddy bear bib on her.Then he took the baby food labeled "carrots" and proceeded to open the little jar.He dipped the spoon into the orangey mush and pulled a spoonful out.

"Say 'Ahhh'" Syaoran said, bringing the baby food to her face.

Sakura frowned and crossed her arms in front of her.She made a pouty face and shook her head.

"No?" Syaoran asked, "Why not?"

He tried to bring the food to her mouth again, but she just turned her head away.

"You shouldn't be so stubborn, Sakura-chan!It's good for you!"

He tried again, and this time, she actually opened her mouth a little.Syaoran took this to his advantage and quickly shoved the food in.

"There you go!That's all you had to do!Now wasn't that good?" he smiled, taking the spoon out.

Sakura answered him by spitting the disgusting orange food all over his face.

"I take it that you didn't like it." Syaoran stated the obvious, sputtering and wiping his face off with his sleeve.

He tried some other foods, most of which she didn't like, but actually got her to eat a few spoonfuls here and there.By the time he was done feeding her, his gray t-shirt had turned about nine different colors.

He took Sakura upstairs and changed his shirt, trading the food-covered gray one for a dark blue one.He looked at the clock on his bedside table and gasped.

"Nine o'clock!?" he realized, turning toward Sakura, "I should have had you in bed at least an hour ago!" 

He changed her dirty diaper and put a new one on, then set her on his bed.He covered her up with blankets and gently tucked her in.

"Are you going to be a good girl and go to sleep?" he asked, smiling at her.

She stared up at him, seemingly wide-awake.Syaoran hopped on the bed next to her and propped one of his free pillows up against the back of the bed.He turned his small clip-on lamp and attached it to the bed.He took the book he had been reading off his shelf and leaned his back against the pillow.

"Just go to sleep, Sakura." he instructed, "I'll stay here and read so you're not alone."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Minutes passed, and soon a full hour.But Sakura still lay awake, watching Syaoran read his book.He sighed and finally gave up, shutting the book and putting it down on the shelf behind him.

"Why won't you sleep?" he asked softly, stroking the top of her head, "Will you go to sleep if I sing you a lullaby?"

Of course he didn't get a reply, but she did smile.

Syaoran cleared his throat and started singing her a sweet song.It was a song he had heard long ago, back at home in China.A song about angels, and Syaoran remembered his mother singing it to him when he was little.He thought it was the perfect song for Sakura.And he was right, the gentle melody seemed to soothe her, and her eyelids began to droop willingly.Even though she was probably asleep halfway through, Syaoran kept singing until the song was done.Once he finished, he bent down and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Sweet dreams, Sakura-chan." he whispered.

Then he laid back and drifted off into dreamland himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Syaoran had expected to be woken up by Sakura crying in the middle of the night, but it never happened.What eventually woke him up was the bright Saturday morning sunshine drowning his room in golden light.He rubbed his eyes sleepily and sat up.He peered down next to him and found the baby Sakura still sleeping and gripping onto the bottom of his shirt.He gently released his shirt from her tiny hand and carefully got up off the bed, not wanting to wake her up.But she stirred and yawned, slowly opening her eyes into the light of the room.She kicked at the covers, successfully getting them off of her, and sat up.She made some cute baby noises (almost like trying to say words) and crawled over to Syaoran.She tugged on his shirt, as if trying to overpower him.Syaoran played along and fell onto his bed with a flop.

"Wow, Sakura-chan!You must be really strong to be able to pull me over like that."

She giggled and pulled on his shirt harder to prevent him from getting up.

"I guess if I want to get up, I'll have to resort to plan B." he decided.

He reached his arms out toward her and began tickling her all over.Sakura broke out into a fit of giggles and finally let go of his shirt, letting him sit up.He picked her up and leaned her against his shoulder.

"You ready to get some breakfast?" he asked as he bounced her up and down.

She made a few more babyish replies and he took her downstairs.He followed the same routine as the day before and made her some milk from the formula.After making himself some eggs, bacon, and a piece of toast, he took her and everything to his same favorite green chair.He set his food on the table next to the chair and proceeded to feed the bottled milk to Sakura.

"So, when are you going to come back to us?" Syaoran asked the little girl, a forlorn expression on his face, "I like taking care of you like this, but I really miss you."

He smiled at her sadly.

"I hope you are fighting that card, Sakura.I don't know what I would do if I could never see you normal again."

After she polished off the milk, Syaoran quickly scarfed down his breakfast and put all the dishes into the sink.

"Do you want to go to the park?" Syaoran asked her, as he changed her and put some new clothes on for her.

She smiled appreciatively back at him, making her eyes light up.The cute little dress matched her eyes perfectly, it was almost as if they were the exact same color.

He smiled back at her and put her up on his shoulders.

"All set?" he asked, looking up above his head.

She in turn, patted the top of his head lightly.He chuckled and walked out of the apartment, locking and shutting the door behind him.

He and Sakura strolled through the park, admiring the late springtime surroundings.Some people looked at him funny, as he carried the little girl on his shoulders and had a baby bag strapped over his shoulder, but he didn't care.

After walking around for at least a couple hours, Syaoran ran into Tomoyo and Eriol, who also seemed to be taking a stroll.

"Ah!! Konnichiwa Li-kun and Sakura-chan!!" Tomoyo called, running up to them.

Eriol came up behind her, looking a little TOO cheerful.

"Well, well!! It seems you two are getting along nicely." Eriol announced.

"Sakura seems really attached to you, Li-kun!!" Tomoyo agreed, "It's so kawaii!"

"Just taking your sweetheart for a ride?" Eriol asked, gesturing toward Sakura (who was hugging the top of Syaoran's head at the time).

"Shut up, Hiragizawa." Syaoran said, giving him the infamous glare.

"Well I think it's absolutely KAWAII!!!!" Tomoyo slurred.

Syaoran and Eriol sweat-dropped simultaneously.In the meantime, Tomoyo took out her video camera and began taping.

"NO! NO!" Syaoran pleaded, trying to put a hand in front of the camera, "What if Sakura saw some of this?"

Tomoyo finally gave up and put the camcorder away.

"Then she would probably thank me." she said, matter-of-factly.

Syaoran's previous sweat-drop grew bigger, but he quickly shook it off.

"What are you guys doing out here, anyway?" Syaoran asked, a little curiosity present in his voice.

"I was just taking a nice morning walk through the park, when I met up with Eriol." Tomoyo explained, "Then we both just decided to walk together for awhile, until we met up with you and Sakura-chan."

Eriol nodded to indicate that she was correct.

"Any news about this card?" Syaoran asked hopefully.

Tomoyo's eyes lit up at a sudden remembrance.

"As a matter of fact, yes!!I meant to tell you last night, but I guess our conversation sidetracked me.I talked to Kero!"

"Y-you did?!" Syaoran stammered, "What did he say?!"

"Kero said that if Sakura wants to prove herself to this card, she has to give it a good or worthy reason of wanting to be her normal self again."

"That doesn't sound too hard." Syaoran said, "What's keeping her this way then?"

Tomoyo shrugged.

"I don't know.I'll bet she's trying though."

"I sure hope so..." Syaoran mumbled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"That's not a good enough reason??" 

"I'm afraid not."

Sakura stood in a black void-like space, talking to an ethereal-looking being.The woman had long golden hair and midnight blue eyes.She stood tall in front of Sakura, in dress that seemed to be made completely of all different types of flowers.

"I want to see my family, I have responsibilities!!Why isn't that good enough?" Sakura continued to ask the young woman.

"Search your heart for the real reason that you want to go back, dig deep inside yourself, card mistress." the woman spoke in a singsong voice.

Sakura closed her eyes and tried her best to focus on her heart.Suddenly, her mind was filled with images of Syaoran.Some all the way back from when they had first met, to card captures, to the present.His rare smile, his light laughter, and the deep sound of his voice...it all rushed through her mind like flipping through the pages of a book.

'It's Syaoran...' she realized, 'I want to go back so I can be with him.That's what I truly want.I want to see his smile, I want to hear his voice, I want to be with him again...'

She opened her eyes and looked up to the card.

"I want to be with Syaoran.That's why I have to go back." she stated.

The card smiled down on her and nodded.

"I accept your wish, card mistress, for it is from the bottom of your heart.I have truly meant no trouble to you, but I was instructed to test you in this way by my master Clow Reed.I apologize for causing any damage."

"Thank you." Sakura said with a smile.

"I accept you as the true card mistress as well, and therefore deem you worthy to don my power." the being spoke as she reverted herself to card form.

The card flew to Sakura's hand and she looked at it curiously.

"The youth card?"

'What exactly did this card do to me?' she wondered.

She was suddenly engulfed in a weird blue light and vanished from sight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What's happening to her?" Eriol asked, pointing to Sakura.

Syaoran put her down, and she started crying like crazy.Tomoyo quickly scooped her up in her arms and took off toward the park bathrooms.

"Where are you going!?" Syaoran called after her.

"Not enough time to explain!" Tomoyo yelled, disappearing into the women's bathroom. 

She put the 'growing' Sakura in one of the stalls and took out some clothes that she had with her.

'Good thing I brought these with just in case.' she thought, sliding the clothes under the stall to Sakura, 'It's also a good thing Kero knew what was going to happen once she captured the card.'

"Huh!?!?!?" came a panicked voice from inside the stall, "What happened?!And where did my clothes go!?"

"There are some on the floor next to you, put those on." Tomoyo instructed.

Sakura did as she was told and came out of the stall about fifteen minutes later, fully dressed in one of Tomoyo's bizarre costumes and holding a pink diaper along with a ripped green dress.

"Care to explain?" she asked, holding out the dress and diaper.

Tomoyo sweat-dropped.

"Um...I think we should go talk about this outside." she said, pushing Sakura toward the door.

Just as they were about to open the door, someone started pounding on it.

"DAIDOUJI!!! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN THERE!?!?" Syaoran voice yelled from the opposite side of the door.

"You could stop screaming and let us out first!" Tomoyo said, impatiently tapping her foot.

He moved out of the way and the two girls came out, Tomoyo in her springtime attire and Sakura in a pink frilly dress.Sakura held the diaper and torn dress out to the two young men.

"One of you care to explain this?" she asked.

"Geez. Look at the time!!" Syaoran said nervously, looking on his arm where a watch would normally be, "I'll see you guys later."

Without another word, he took off running faster than the dash card.

"I think Tomoyo-san can kindly explain everything." Eriol agreed, walking off toward the street.

'Gee, thanks a lot guys.' Tomoyo thought bitterly.

A not so nice thought suddenly came to her mind and she smiled evilly.

"Hey Sakura-chan!Why don't you come over to my place for a while.I think I have a very INTERESTING video to show you."

Sakura crossed her arms.

"I want to know what exactly happened first."

"Oh, TRUST me, Sakura-chan, this will explain EVERYTHING." Tomoyo stated, still grinning like mad.

'Syaoran deserves this for bailing out on me.' she thought.

"Well, if that's the case, let's go!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay, Sakura-chan, prepare to be amazed." Tomoyo said, popping an unmarked tape into her VCR and hitting 'play'.

The first scene of the tape started, and showed a shot of Syaoran pushing a little girl in a cart through a store.

"Who's that?" Sakura asked, blinking at the TV, "I thought Syaoran's sisters were all older than him."

"They are.Take a closer look." 

Sakura squinted at the bright TV screen.

"Hah Hah, Tomoyo-chan, nice joke.But I would really like to know how you managed to pull that one off."

"No joke, Sakura-chan, that's you." Tomoyo stated, smiling.

Then, it suddenly struck her like lightning.

'The youth card...no, IT CAN'T BE!!!!!!'

"Tomoyo-chaaaaaaaaaan!!! How?!?!?!And...WHY SYAORAN!?!?" Sakura exploded, having an extremely difficult time taking in the sight before her.

"Syaoran volunteered to take care of you while you were under the card's power." Tomoyo explained.

Sakura watched as Syaoran took baby food off shelves and stuck them in the cart with the little Sakura.

"This COULD NOT have happened!!" she insisted, "It was all just a dream, just a bad dream!!I'm going to wake up anytime now..."

Tomoyo pinched her best friend's cheek.

"OUCH!"

"See? It's not a dream." Tomoyo smirked, "OOO!! Watch this part!"

Sakura almost unwillingly looked at the screen, but couldn't seem to tear her eyes from it.Syaoran was looking at diapers, and had accidentally hit the cart with his foot.Sakura watched herself go rolling down the aisle, laughing like crazy.A moment later, she saw sheer terror erupt onto Syaoran's face (a special close-up done by Tomoyo)and he took off running and yelling after the runaway cart.He saved it just before it hit the wall and the little Sakura clapped her hands happily.

"So I was really that dense when I was little too..." she mumbled.

Sakura watched Syaoran's conversation with Toya and frowned.

'Ni-chan never lets him alone.' she thought irritably.

The next few scenes went by and Sakura continued to watch, looking like a frozen block of ice.However, as Syaoran was feeding her the bottle, she felt a tiny smile weave its way onto her face.

'I wish he would really look at me like that...' she thought dreamily.

"Sakura-chan!You have to watch this part!" Tomoyo squealed excitedly, "He's going to change your diaper!!"

Sakura's whole face went pale.

"Y-you're joking..." she squeaked, sounding a lot like a frightened mouse.

"Nope. See?"

Each second she watched, she sank deeper and deeper into the depths of the couch she was seated on.

"I'm never going to be able to face him ever again..." she spoke, barely above a whisper. 

Her face and neck felt as hot as the surface of the sun.

"Tomoyo-chan! This is torture!! Please tell me that this isn't real!!" Sakura pleaded.

"I would if I could, but I can't. It all happened yesterday."

"Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo....." Sakura moaned.

Tomoyo forced her to continue watching, even though it was clear that Sakura wanted to throw up.The tape went through the whole phone call business, and Sakura turned to Tomoyo.

"You sat there taping inside his bedroom while you were talking to him on the phone?!"

"Yup." Tomoyo answered simply.

Sakura grinned as she saw Syaoran play with her.

"He must really like kids..."

Tomoyo chuckled a little.

"You've got it all wrong, Sakura-chan." she stated, with that knowing look.

"Y'know Sakura...I've always wanted to spend a day with you." Sakura heard Syaoran speak on the screen, "However, this isn't quite what I had in mind."

Sakura felt herself blush at this.

"What did he mean by that, Tomoyo-chan?"

Tomoyo shrugged with a smile.

"I don't know, ask him."

Sakura watched in amazement as she kissed Syaoran's cheek, and noted how he turned bright red.

'I wonder why he turned red like that?' she thought.

Sakura and Tomoyo continued to watch the video and were now to the feeding part."I don't even want to know how I'm going to embarrass myself this time." Sakura said, covering her eyes.

She watched as Syaoran tried feeding her, and she utterly refused every time.Then when he finally got some in her mouth, she spit the orange goo all over his face.

"Somebody just kill me already!!Forget ever facing him again, how can he even stand knowing that I'm alive!!??" Sakura yelled.

"Oh, I could think of a few reasons." Tomoyo said, still smiling (did she ever stop?), "As a matter of fact, here's the most kawaii part of the whole tape!!"

"What's so kawaii about that?" Sakura asked, watching Syaoran reading his book in bed, "He's been like that for the last fifteen minutes (yes, Tomoyo cut some of that scene out)."

"OOOOO!!!Here he goes, watch!!" Tomoyo droned excitedly.

Syaoran put the book down and turned to the still awake Sakura.

"Why won't you sleep?" Sakura heard him ask, "Will you go to sleep if I sing you a lullaby?"

Sakura felt her heart start beating faster.

'He's going to...sing to me?'

And sure enough he did, he sang a sweet song about angels.Sakura almost fell asleep herself, if it wasn't for a nudge or two from Tomoyo-chan.He finished the song and bent down and gave the little Sakura a kiss on the forehead.Sakura instinctively placed her hand on her own forehead, as if she could still feel the kiss.

"Sweet dreams, Sakura-chan." she heard him whisper as the camera faded out.

Sakura stared longingly at the screen.

"That's the sweetest thing I have ever seen him do." Sakura spoke, in a daze.

"And he did it for you." Tomoyo nudged her friend.

Finally, the last part of the tape went by, with just Syaoran trying to block Tomoyo's camera with his hand, while asking Tomoyo what he would do if Sakura saw it.Then fuzz overran the TV.

"That's it!!" Tomoyo said, "So, Sakura-chan, how did you like it?"

Sakura moaned and put her head in her hands.

"I could use a glass of water Tomoyo-chan, and about thirty Tylenol..."

"Sure thing, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo bowed, cheerfully skipping off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One thing is for sure, the next time Sakura and Syaoran meet face to face is going to be INTERESTING indeed...

That's it for Chapter 2!!!I hope you all enjoyed that chapter, 'cause I certainly enjoyed writing it! ^_^I know that wasn't exactly something you guys would have expected, but I thought it added a nice twist into my story (not your everyday S+S, now is it?).Anyway, I would REALLY like reviews for what you all thought of this one.As long as you guys like it, I'll continue.Be gentle with flames, but helpful criticism is always welcome (that's my own motto ^_^).Arigato for reading my fic!!And if you aren't sure of a few Japanese terms, I don't think there are any new ones, so just refer to the bottom of my first fic if there are any you don't recognize (I did change 'oniisan' to 'Ni-chan' though).I hope you all have a wonderful day!! ~Manda-chan


	3. The Forbidden Clow: Look With Love, Not ...

Konnichiwa minna-san! I'm back again with Chapter 3. I hope you are enjoying the story so far, I still have a lot of plot to add to this one (and S+S). Sorry if most of my chapters are kind of long, but when I start a story, I really get into it ^_^ I hope you didn't have to wait too long for this (if you WERE waiting for it), but I have school and obligations just like anyone else, so please forgive me. Review at the end if you would be so kind!! Arigato to everyone who reviewed this fic (and my other ones) so far! Remember: Helpful criticism is very important to an author!^_^ ~Manda-chan

The Forbidden Clow 3: Look With Love, Not With the Eyes

"Are you feeling any better, Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked, looking at Sakura's still slightly-green face with concern.

"Yeah...the headache is gone at least." Sakura replied, "Arigato, Tomoyo-chan."

Tomoyo just smiled. Sakura got to her feet and stretched.

"I guess I'll be going now, Tomoyo-chan. I'll talk to you later."

Tomoyo walked her down the huge flight of stairs and to the door. Sakura strode to the street and waved to her friend.

"Ja, Tomoyo-chan!!"

"Ja ne, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo yelled as she waved back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before going home, Sakura decided to go for a walk around town. It was always easy to think when you took a walk, at least, that was Sakura's experience. She soon found herself wandering in a rose garden somewhere and decided to take a small rest on a white-painted wooden bench that sat under the protection of a flower and vine covered arch. She sighed, inhaling the sweet scents of all the roses and smiled. She absentmindedly reached her hand into her pocket and pulled out the youth card. She gazed at it curiously, still trying to figure out what the card had meant when it spoke to her.

'So this card was instructed to test me by Clow Reed?' she wondered, closing her eyes as her thoughts deepened, 'But that just doesn't make sense...' 

She leaned her head back and breathed in deeply.

'And the card didn't mean to cause me trouble? I thought Kero said that these cards were trying to harm Syaoran and me? It just doesn't add up.' she thought, 'Maybe this card was just a gentle one, like Windy or Wood. But what did it mean by 'test' me? Is there something else to these cards?'

"Sakura?" 

"HOE!!?!?!?!?" 

Sakura fell off the bench in shock. She heard a familiar light chuckle and looked up curiously. She immediately looked straight back at the ground again when she saw who it was. She wasn't near ready to face him so soon.

"Did I surprise you?" Syaoran asked, helping her up.

"H-hai, just a little." Sakura answered, barely above a whisper.

Syaoran noticed that Sakura seemed to be avoiding eye contact and looked distant for some reason.

"Hey, are you alright? I'm sorry if I disturbed you or something, I-"

"It's not that." Sakura interrupted, turning away from him, "I just...have a lot of things on my mind."

"I understand." Syaoran said, "That's one of the reasons I'm out here too."

"I just kind of wandered in here." Sakura still spoke in a distant tone.

'Okay, here goes.' Syaoran thought, clenching his hands tightly.

"Would you...like to get a snack or something?" he asked, blushing a little, "There's a nice cafe just a block or so from here." 

Syaoran was smiling to himself. 

'Ever since yesterday, I seem to have an easier time talking to her.'

"I-I...don't know." Sakura stammered, still facing opposite of him.

Syaoran seemed a little upset by her tone of voice. She seemed...scared of something.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Syaoran asked, taking one of her hands in his from behind her.

"Yes!"

Sakura wrenched her hand from his grasp, not forcefully, but enough to show that she was upset.

"I...I mean, yes, I'm okay. I'll go with you, I guess." she corrected, almost alarmed by what she was saying.

Even though she sounded less than enthusiastic, Syaoran felt a grin spread across his face.

"That's great!" he said cheerfully.

Sakura didn't say anything in reply. As a matter of fact, she didn't speak a word to him all the way there.

'How can he stand even being near me?' Sakura thought shamefully, staring off into some trees along the sidewalk, 'I wonder how he would react if he knew that I knew what went on yesterday...'

"Kawaii little place, ne?" Syaoran asked, gesturing toward the quaint little outdoor cafe.

Sakura broke out of her thoughts and followed his outstretched hand toward the small area of two person dinette sets and red umbrellas that hung over the top of each of them.

"Yeah." Sakura agreed, still not showing any change in mood.

Syaoran frowned as he and Sakura walked to the cafe and casually took a seat at one of the tables.

'Whatever the problem is, it's still bugging her.' Syaoran noted by Sakura's anxious expression, 'You would almost swear that someone was following her or something.'

Sakura looked around the area nervously. She and Syaoran were the only couple at the cafe, all the other seats were vacant.

'I've got to think of a good excuse to leave,' Sakura thought, 'I need time to think this whole business over and possibly talk to Kero before I can face him about this.'

"What would you like today?" a middle-aged looking waiter asked.

Syaoran looked over to Sakura, who in turn looked up at the waiter.

"I'll just have a glass of ice water please." she said.

Syaoran gave her a worried look and the waiter raised his eyebrows.

"Will that be all, miss?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you." Sakura confirmed.

"And for you, sir?" he questioned, turning to Syaoran.

"Hmm...A chocolate malt please." he decided.

Syaoran handed him some money and he walked away. He then placed his arms on the table and looked across it to Sakura.

"Something's bugging you, Sakura." he stated firmly, "You can deny it all you want, but I can tell."

Sakura sighed and stood up.

"I really have to be going." she said, "Maybe I'll see you later or something."

Before Syaoran could stop her, she took off as fast as she could. The waiter came back and handed Syaoran his malt, giving him a strange look.

"Problem?" he asked, making a head gesture toward where Sakura had previously been seated.

"I wish I knew." Syaoran replied softly, gazing off to where she was running, "I wish I knew..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura ran all the way home and up to her room. She didn't bother to say anything to Toya or her father. She just had to get away from everything. She walked in the door and flopped herself on her bed, still breathing hoarsely.

"Sakura?" Kero questioned, popping out from his drawer.

"Hi Kero-chan." Sakura said, not showing her normal enthusiasm.

"I guess this means you sealed the card then?" he asked hopefully.

Sakura held up the youth card.

"I guess you could say that." she replied.

"You seem upset." Kero stated the obvious, "Did something happen?"

"What do you mean by that?" Sakura asked.

"For one, you don't have that ray of sunshine with you today, and two, you've obviously been running from something." Kero explained.

"So?" Sakura shot back.

"Did you have a nice stay at the Chinese gaki's house?" Kero asked, knowing full well that this would get her attention.

Sakura sat straight up and glared at him.

"How did you know about that?!" she asked, practically turning the color of a ripe strawberry.

"Tomoyo is very knowledgeable about these things." Kero said, floating closer to her, "Why, is that what's bugging you?" 

"I guess you could say that." Sakura echoed with the same voice as she had before.

"Does he know that you know?" Kero asked curiously.

"Apparently not. I ran into him just a little while ago, and it's almost like he's pretending that it never happened." she explained.

"That's probably because he thinks you don't know...So what happened?"

"He kept asking me if something was wrong, and I wouldn't even look at him or much less talk to him and we went to a cafe and...I don't know...I just ran." Sakura said, looking at the floor.

"I understand that you're confused, Sakura." Kero said softly, placing a yellow paw on his mistress's shoulder, "But you just can't keep running away from your problems. If you do, they're just going to come back to haunt you."

"...Then you're saying I should..."

"Talk to him." Kero finished, "Sort this out."

There was complete silence for a few moments, but then Sakura sighed.

"You're right Kero-chan." Sakura agreed.

"As always." Kero stated, matter-of-factly.

"Whatever." Sakura said, letting a small smile form as she slipped on some PJs, "But I'll talk to him tomorrow."

She hopped into bed and shut off her bedside lamp.

"Goodnight, Kero-chan." she said sleepily, yawning.

"Goodnight, Sakura."

Within a matter of minutes, Sakura had fallen into slumber. Kero flew over to the window and looked out at the bright crescent moon in the sky.

'The test has begun...' he thought, 'And though I hate to admit it, this was bound to happen, whether I like him or not...'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Syaoran! It's you again!" Sakura realized.

It was the same dream as she had two nights ago, but this time, Syaoran was closer to her. It was almost as if the tower had come closer to where she was standing. She picked up the same blank Clow card that she had in the other dream, and turned to Syaoran on the tower.

"Are you going to tell me what this means?" she asked him, instinctively walking forward.

As she did, the tower and Syaoran pulled farther away from her. 

"Matte!!!" she called after him.

When she stopped walking toward him, the tower ceased its movement also. She stared out at him, and noticed that his lips moved, and he began to speak.

"Love is not blind..." he whispered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Love...is...not...blind..." the words echoed through her mind as she yawned into the early morning light.

"Hoe? Morning already?" 

She let out a larger yawn and looked at her clock.

'10 A.M and I'm actually awake?' she realized.

She rubbed her eyes and hopped out of bed, heading for the shower. She came out a little while later, dressed in jade green khaki shorts and a dark-pink babydoll tee shirt. She headed for the door just as Kero flew out of his drawer.

"You're up early." he observed, wide-eyed (well, as wide as his beady eyes can get), "Is something wrong?" 

She grabbed one of her pillows and whacked him with it.

"No, nothing is wrong!" she said indignantly, "I just got up early, that's all."Kero slowly flew out from under the pillow.

"Where were you headed?" he asked, looking out the open door, "Going to get breakfast?"

"No, I was just going to go see Syaoran-kun." she said casually.

"This early in the morning!?!?"

"Why not?" Sakura said, brushing out her hair, "He probably gets up at sunrise anyway."

She fixed her hair into the traditional pigtails, and headed out the door.

"Let me know if Tomoyo-chan calls, okay Kero-chan?"

"Sure, sure." Kero waved her off, as the door shut, "Not like I have anything better to do."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Just knock...' Sakura told herself over and over again.

She had already been standing outside room 7 for about fifteen minutes, just trying to gather enough courage to bring her hand in contact with the wood.

'If I can't even knock on his door, how will I be able say anything to him at all?...Maybe I should just leave...'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Syaoran had to admit he felt something weird, but he didn't pay any attention to it. He got up at sunrise like usual, did his morning ritual, and took a shower. Now it was time to go and get the morning paper...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura took a deep breath and brought her knuckles down toward the door. About a millimeter of so from hitting it, she pulled back.

'I can't do it...maybe I'll come by later.'

She was just about to turn and leave when the door swung wide open. She gasped and took a step back. But no one was there. She curiously walked inside and looked around.

'Where is Syaoran?' she wondered.

"What are you doing here, Sakura?" Syaoran's voice asked.

Sakura turned around and watched the door shut on its own.

"Syaoran? What's going on?" Sakura asked, becoming more and more frightened.

"What are you talking about, Sakura?" Syaoran's voice asked, dumbfounded.

Sakura grabbed a book off a table near her and held it out threateningly.

"W-who e-ever you are, s-stay back." She warned, backing up against the wall.

She looked nervously from left to right, still unable to see anyone.

"I-If this is your idea of a j-j-joke Syaoran-kun," she spoke, knees shaking, "It's n-not funny. Y-y-you know how freaked I am about g-g-ghosts."

"Are you feeling alright, Sakura?" he asked quizzically, "We're the only ones here."

"T-Then why can't I see you?" Sakura questioned, still frightened, "Where are you?"

She suddenly felt a light weight on her shoulders.

"What are you talking about? I'm right in front of you." his voice spoke.

"HOE!?!!?!?!!??!" Sakura screamed, lashing out in front of her with the book.

It hit Syaoran square in the forehead and he fell back on the floor.

"Itai!! What did you do that for?!" he asked, unable to figure out what was going on.

"I-I can hear you, but...but I can't see you." Sakura explained.

Syaoran looked at his hands and saw them just the same as ever. He looked up at Sakura, still bewildered.

"You can't see me?" he asked.

She blinked as a thought suddenly came to her mind.

"...Do you think it's a black Clow card?" 

"I don't know." Syaoran shrugged, "Nothing feels any different to me."

Sakura just stood there in silence for a few moments.

"...I feel like I'm talking to nothing but air..." she mumbled.

"Oh, that makes me feel a lot better, I'm being compared to air now..."

"Let's just get you back to being visible." Sakura interrupted quickly.

"And...we're going to do that how?" Syaoran asked, a note of disbelief in his voice.

"Mou! Give me a little time, I'm trying to think of something!"

*About an hour later...*

"Come up with any ideas yet?" Syaoran asked, a bit eagerly.

"....No..." 

Syaoran fell over anime style.

"Well, what did you come here for in the first place?" he questioned, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"I, uh..." Sakura stumbled.

'I can't really apologize right now...I'll have to wait until a little later, after we seal this card.' she thought.

"I'll explain that later!" Sakura finished, "Priorities first, we have to seal that card somehow."

Syaoran sighed and took a seat on the couch, making an indent visible to Sakura.

"Y'know Syaoran, this whole "invisible" thing creeps me out..." 

"Maybe you're just going blind or something." Syaoran suggested.

'Blind....where have I heard that before?...' Sakura thought, '....!!! The dream I had last night! Syaoran told me 'Love is not blind'...but what does that mean?'

"Uh...Sakura? Is everything alright over there?" Syaoran called to the dazed-looking Sakura.

She snapped out of it and looked up.

"Gomen, um...wherever you are right now. I just kind of spaced out." Sakura apologized.

"Any brainstorms yet?" he asked hopefully.

'I don't really like being invisible to you...' he thought sadly.

"As a matter of fact...I have an idea." Sakura stated.

"Nanda?"

She didn't respond, but instead closed her eyes.

'Love is not blind...Love is not blind..' she repeated over and over again through her head.

A strange-sounding voice suddenly interrupted her concentration.

'Card mistress...do you think you can prove yourself to me?' it asked, as if amused.

'Yes. I believe I can.' she answered, with confidence.

'And just how do you plan to accomplish such a task?'

'By letting my heart guide me...to look with love, not with the eyes.' she explained.

'Pretty sounding words mistress, but that's all they are. You can't see what's not in front of your eyes.'

Sakura smiled to herself.

'That's where you're wrong.'

She looked deep within her heart, trying to pry out all her memories of Syaoran and trying her best to picture him in her mind, to almost feel where he was.

'Don't think about the card...' she told herself, 'Focus on the love I have for Syaoran...Love that's not blind...'

"...Syaoran?"

There he stood in front of her, plain as day.

"I can see you!" she exclaimed.

Syaoran held his hand out to stop her.

"Not exactly." he stated, but seemingly with someone else's voice, "With these thoughts in mind, open your eyes...if you truly believe that love isn't blind."

Sakura snapped her eyes open, thinking of nothing else than seeing her secret beloved again. A bit blurry at first, Syaoran came into full sight, sitting casually on the couch, like nothing happened.

"Is it...really you?" Sakura questioned, walking closer to him.

He blinked.

"You...You can see me now?" he asked, eyes opening wide.

"Hai!" she answered with a smile.

He quickly returned the smile, but frowned almost immediately.

"It wasn't a black Clow card then?"

Sakura gasped, realizing the card never showed up, and frantically began searching for it. 

'I thought I proved myself to it!' she thought, frantically tearing up Syaoran's apartment in an attempt to find it.

She felt something in her hand and looked at it. 

Nothing.

"Nani?" she asked to no one in particular, "Oh wait! It's an invisible Clow card!"

Then, before her eyes, a Black Clow card appeared the front of it in the image of a beautiful winged unicorn. At the bottom, it appropriately beared the title: The Invisible.

'Your love for that young man proved your worth to me.' the card spoke to her, 'I now deem you worthy to don my power, card mistress.'

"Arigato." she whispered to the card, before putting it in her pocket.

'For letting me see Syaoran-kun again...' she added mentally.

"So you DID seal the card?" Syaoran asked.

"Hai...I did." she answered, still grinning.

"Now," Syaoran said, striding over to her, "Are you going to tell me why you came over here in the first place?"

'No turning back now...' she thought.

"Yeah, I want to apologize..." she mumbled, looking down at her shoes.

Syaoran chuckled.

"Apologize?" he asked, "What could you possibly need to apologize for?"

"About Friday, and all the trouble I caused you..." she explained, "I'm really sorry you had to go through that."

As she spoke, Syaoran choked on his previous chuckles and turned whiter than a ghost. They stood there in awkward silence, both feeling rather embarrassed and confused by the whole deal.

Sakura took a deep breath.

"I also want to thank you," she said, finally meeting his eyes, "For taking care of me."

She smiled, to reassure him that everything was okay.

"I just want to know one thing." Syaoran said quickly.

"Nani?"

"How did...um, How did you find out about all of this?" he asked, rather unsure of if he wanted to know the answer.

"Tomoyo-chan video-taped us almost the whole time. She showed me the tape yesterday." Sakura cleared.

Syaoran cursed under his breath.

"I should have known..." he muttered.

"Syaoran-kun?"

"H-hai?"

"Can we put this behind us and be friends as if nothing happened?"

Syaoran nodded.

'Just friends...' they each thought simultaneously, looking equally disappointed.

"I suppose I should get going now." Sakura said.

"Don't you want to stay for tea or something?" Syaoran asked, "Or maybe just talk for awhile?"

Sakura nodded slowly and let a small smile work its way onto her face.

"Yeah, I guess I owe you at least that, for walking out on you yesterday."

"That's alright." Syaoran shrugged, "You had stuff on your mind. I understand."

Sakura's smile widened.

'You always understand...' she thought, losing herself in his calm expression and pools of golden amber, 'Just another thing to add to the list of things I love about you...'

~ That's the end of Chapter 3!! Sorry if that took awhile, but I'll try to have Chapter 4 out as soon as I can. If there are any Japanese terms you don't understand, just ask me about them. I hope that Chapter was enjoyable to everyone. ^_^ If you think I should quit while I'm ahead, don't be afraid to tell me! I don't want readers to get bored! As an author, it's my job to keep you interested as best I can ^_^ Chapter 4 is going to be kind of weird, but I'm going to have a lot of fun writing it!! ^^ I appreciate reviews more than you can imagine! I personally thank everyone who has reviewed any of my stories. It's your feedback that keeps an author going. ARIGATO!!! ~Manda-chan


	4. The Forbidden Clow: It Was Syaoran's Typ...

Heya Minna-san!! ^^ Gomen nasai!! I've been really busy with school lately, so I haven't had much time to work on this story (big Biology essay on Evolution). I'll try to make this chapter worth the wait (and if someone has had this idea before, gomen, I didn't steal it!). I'm not really sure how long this story is going to be, so I guess I'll just keep going until I run out of ideas. A million 'Arigato's to everyone who reviewed this story so far (and my other two)!! You guys keep me going, and I thank you for sparing the time to tell me what you thought!! ^_^ You guys are great!! Arigato, and here's chapter 4, dedicated to all people who reviewed my story!! ~Manda-chan

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS, and you'd be wasting your time trying to sue me.

****

The Forbidden Clow Chapter 4: It Was Syaoran's Typical Monday Until...

*Bleep Bleep Bleep*

Syaoran slowly opened his eyes and sat up, gazing lazily out his bedroom window. He squinted into the golden glow flowing into his bedroom.

"Ugh...morning already?"

A bird's cheerful singing and chirping gave him the affirmative. He let out a large moan and finally managed to hoist himself out of the comfort of the green blankets. He yawned and sauntered into the bathroom. 

After his nice hot shower, he put on his school uniform and headed downstairs to make a quick breakfast. He got some tea heated up and made some toast. Then he sat down at his little apartment-sized bachelor's table and had his food. 

As he drank the tea, his head started to pound severely. 

'That's what I get for working on that chemistry problem at one in the morning.' he thought, getting some aspirin from the medicine cabinet.

Surprisingly, before he even had the chance to take the aspirin, the headache went away as fast as it came. He blinked, making sure it was gone, and shrugged.

'No use taking this now.' he thought, placing the medicine back on the shelf.

With a rather large yawn, he returned to the table to finish his forgotten breakfast. After he'd finished eating and cleaning up, he snatched his backpack from the back of the chair and headed out the door.

Something was going to happen today, he could feel it.

He trudged out of his apartment and cautiously locked the door behind him.

'Can never be too careful,' he thought, 'there may be more people like Meilin running around this town.'

He shuddered at the thought of Meilin.

'Thankfully she's back home in Hong Kong and won't be bothering me for awhile.'

He sighed in pure relief and continued his promenade toward Tomeda high. After a few minutes of walking, he checked his watch. He let a small smile creep across his face. 

'Right on time...5...4...3...2...1...'

Sakura suddenly appeared turning from her walkway onto the sidewalk, not too far ahead of Syaoran. She was on foot today for some reason. Syaoran didn't mind though, this was even better than the normal routine. Over the last few days, Sakura had somehow managed to keep punctual and hardly ever ran late to school anymore. Syaoran had even managed to pinpoint almost to the exact second when she would round that white fence every morning on her way to school. Unknownst to her, he had made it part of his daily routine to walk along behind her. He longed to call out to her and walk with her, (instead of behind) but he could never manage to get her name to come vocally out of his mouth. Not even just a simple little whisper, much less a call. He sighed heavily and stared from behind at her graceful figure. He wanted to call out to her; he really did, but...

"SAKURA!" he yelled.

It took a moment to register in Syaoran's mind, then he stopped dead in his tracks and immediately clamped a hand over his mouth.

'I didn't...did I? I wanted to...but I didn't? Right? Am I going crazy or something?!'

Sakura halted at the sound of her name. 

'That sounds like...'

She shook her head vigorously, trying to push the thought out of her mind.

'No, it's not him. Why would he be calling to me?'

She turned around, trying to suppress a giggle at the silliness of her thoughts. She looked up, only to see an embarrassed-looking Syaoran with his hand clamped over his mouth. She gasped.

'It WAS him!'

She ran up to him and smiled with the brightness only she possessed.

"Hai?" she asked, cocking her head to the side in a cute manner.

Syaoran unclamped his hand from his face and blinked a few times.

"Ano...ano...Do you want to walk to school together?" he blurted out.

"Hai!!" Sakura replied cheerfully.

Syaoran blushed at her giddiness.

"You seem to be in a good mood." he commented, smirking slightly.

"Hai!!" she said again, mirroring the same reply as before.

"Know any other words?" Syaoran teased.

"Gomen...I was just so happy when you called out to me and..." she trailed off as a familiar warmth crossed her cheeks, the one that always did when she was around him.

An awkward silence followed soon after, as each was unsure of what to converse with the other about. 

"Ano, Sakura-chan, I..." 

Syaoran let his speech die off as the school came into view. He frowned.

"Here we are." he finished lamely.

Sakura's smile also seemed to turn upside down.

'That was too short...' she thought.

Despite how she felt, she mustered up one of her brilliant smiles.

"C'mon, Syaoran!" she laughed, tugging on his sleeve, "We don't want to be late for class."

"U-un." he choked out, being pulled down the hall by his uniform sleeve.

Sakura got to her locker and pushed Syaoran across to the other side.

"Better go get your books! See you in class!" 

She slammed her locker shut and skipped down the hall toward homeroom. In the meantime, Syaoran got everything he needed from his locker and hurried to catch up.

'I can't figure out what, but something weird is going on...' he thought, as he entered the chatter-full room, 'And I don't think it's good...'

What Syaoran first saw made his blood boil.

"Damn you Hiiragizawa..." he cursed silently, trying to hold back his shaking fist.

Eriol was giving Sakura his traditional greeting, with a kiss on her slender hand. Although Syaoran didn't know it, he did it for the sole purpose of making Syaoran pissed off. However, on this particular Monday, Syaoran's reaction surprised even Hiiragizawa Eriol.

'Keep you hands off my-'

"Keep your hands off MY Sakura-chan!!" Syaoran yelled, from a foot or two away from the group.

Eriol looked up at him and blinked, generally surprised (and even perhaps a bit frightened for once), Tomoyo was videotaping as intently as ever, and Sakura looked half-alarmed, half-clueless. The entire class was focused on a scarlet-faced Syaoran, who looked to be in shock.

'I THOUGHT that...I...I didn't want to SAY it!! Oh Kami-sama...everyone's staring...'

Syaoran blinked in confusion and embarrassment and ran into the hallway. 

'Water...I need water.'

He found the fountain and took a few drinks before he could finally calm down a little bit.

'Someone please...tell me I DIDN'T do that!!!' he pleaded inwardly.

His heart was still beating rapidly, but he had to return to class before the bell rang. He came to the door and retracted slightly.

'How do I face everyone now?...How do I face Sakura-chan now??" he thought, slowly pulling the door open and stepping in, 'Please, don't let her remember what I said.'

Sakura's gaze was the first he caught as he made his way to his desk. He expected a look of disgust, but instead received a confused yet cheerful smile. He smiled to himself.

'Thank the heavens she's as dense as she is...' he thought, letting a small sigh escape his throat.

He sunk into his seat and prepared his materials for the lesson, or at least TRIED to. He couldn't seem to keep his eyes and mind from wandering to the auburn-haired angel seated in front of him. He leaned his head on his right hand and heaved a blissful sigh. 

'She's wearing her pigtails again today too.' he realized, watching them bob around as she roughly erased something with her pencil, 'Suddenly I feel like I want to...'

Syaoran reached his left hand out and flirtatiously tugged one of her pigtails. Sakura yelped in surprise, causing the class's and the teacher's attentions to be focused on the back of the room.

'What's WRONG with me?!' Syaoran thought, turning into a tomato on the spot, 'I thought about doing it, but I didn't actually want to DO it!!'

Sakura gave Syaoran a kind of frightened look but turned around at the sound of the teacher's voice.

"Is something wrong, Kinomoto?" he asked quizzically.

"Ano...Iie...I just got a little startled, that's all. Gomen."

Eriol almost cracked up laughing, but stopped himself when he received a death glare from Syaoran. Tomoyo was, as usual, taping the entire scene, letting small sounds that sounded suspiciously like "kawaii" out now and then. Syaoran was starting to get severely annoyed by the camera.

'When I get my hands on that thing, I'll bust it into at least 30 pieces...'

Without warning, Syaoran snatched the camera from Tomoyo and smashed it on the floor. Tomoyo was shocked and looked about ready to cry. Sakura on the other hand, couldn't believe what Syaoran just did.

"Li-kun!! What a horrible thing to do!" 

It just now registered to Syaoran exactly what he had just done.

"I...I...Gomen nasai, Daidouji-san!!!" he said quickly, "I didn't mean to break your camera, I just-"

"I know you don't like how she's always video-taping us Li-kun," Sakura interrupted, glaring at him while comforting Tomoyo, who was carefully rummaging through the remains of her new camera, "but you didn't have to do THAT!"

Syaoran grunted in frustration and banged his head off the desk a few times.

'BAKA!! BAKA!! BAKAAAAA!!!' he cursed mentally.

Tomoyo suddenly stood up, head lowered, facing Syaoran. He looked up, expecting to be slapped or something.

'I deserve it...' he thought.

However, Tomoyo lifted up her head and a huge grin spread across her face.

"Don't worry about it Li-kun!" Tomoyo said, pulling a mint-condition video camera out of nowhere, "I have at least a dozen spares!"

The previously shocked class (as well as Syaoran, Sakura, and Terada-sensei)face-faulted (anime style). Tomoyo chuckled and picked a cassette out of the wreckage.

"And the tape wasn't even scratched!" she squealed happily.

Syaoran, Sakura, and Eriol sweat-dropped simultaneously.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What do you mean by that?" Tomoyo asked, becoming curious.

"I-I don't exactly understand myself," Syaoran admitted, "I think about doing or saying something, and I actually end up doing it."

"Hmm...weird." she commented, looking off in the distance.

"Intriguing." Eriol interrupted, "You actually think about those things?"

He smiled slyly in Syaoran's direction.

"Iie-I mean, not really...or...sometimes I guess." 

The more Syaoran kept on talking, the redder his face got.

'I guess this means I can't think about...' he thought, suddenly cut off as he began to speak his mind.

"I guess this means I can't think about kissing her..." he said softly.

"Think about kissing WHO?" Tomoyo asked, giving him a knowing look.

Syaoran's whole face and neck turned an alarming shade of crimson. Tomoyo went right up in his face.

"Hmmmmmmm?" she pushed.

Syaoran tried desperately to shake off his blush and give her serious look.

"No one." he stated firmly.

Eriol patted his back.

"I doesn't hurt to admit that you like Sakura-san." he reasoned.

Syaoran crossed his arms over his chest and gave them the best glare he could muster up.

"I DON'T like Sakura!" he stated stubbornly.

"What about me?"

Syaoran gasped. Sakura popped up on the left side of Tomoyo, looking confused. Eriol sweat-dropped and put a hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"Nande mo nai, Sakura-san." he said.

"Oh, I see. You were talking about something else." she realized. 

All three nodded eagerly, which made Sakura sweat-drop.

"Well, if you were talking about something important, I can leave for awhile." Sakura said, pointing her thumb behind her.

Syaoran stepped forward.

"No. Don't go."

He gazed at Sakura and she blinked back at him. He snapped out of the dreamy daze and felt his face flush.

"Ano! I mean, we weren't talking about anything important." he said, trying to fake a laugh.

Tomoyo sighed and sweat-dropped.

'Li-kun is so...OBVIOUS! Now if only Sakura-chan wasn't so CLUELESS!'

By the look on Eriol's face, he was thinking the same thing.

"Brr...The wind is a little chilly today." Sakura shivered, rubbing her shoulders.

'I would be warmer for her if I...NO! Don't think it!'

Too late.

Syaoran casually took a few steps forward and wrapped his strong arms around her shoulders.

"Is that better?" he asked in a low voice.

"Ano...ano..."

Sakura was too shocked to say anything clearly. Once again, Syaoran went bananas when he realized what he was doing. He let go of Sakura like she was on fire and ran away screaming "I NEED WATER!!!!". Sakura just stood there, still utterly shocked. Eriol shrugged at gave a lopsided smile to Tomoyo, before heading back into the school. Tomoyo in the meantime, tried to shake Sakura out of her state of mind.

"Sakura? Are you in there? Snap out of it!"

Tomoyo shook her a little harder until she finally responded with a blink.

"...hoe?"

Tomoyo smiled.

"Welcome back."

Sakura blushed sheepishly.

"Gomen I-"

"You like, Li-kun a lot, don't you?" Tomoyo interrupted.

Sakura lowered her head.

"....hai." she whispered sadly.

*************************************

A few kids shook their heads sadly at the sight before them.

"Crazy..." one of them muttered.

Syaoran was on his knees just a few feet from the water fountain, hitting himself in the head repeatedly.

"Come out of there! Stupid card! I know you're in there!" he yelled, not paying any attention to the looks other students were giving him.

'It's got to be a black clow card.' he thought, 'There's no other explanation.'

He finally gave up the head pounding and stood up.

'Why is it torturing me like this?'

He rushed back into the school, receiving a few gasps from the people he pushed by in such a hurry. 

'How do you prove yourself to a card like this?' he wondered, sitting down in his seat in the presently vacant classroom.

His thoughts were cut short as Tomoyo and Sakura entered the room. Sakura's face was still bright red and Tomoyo seemed satisfied about something.

"Li-kun!" Tomoyo waved, "Konnichiwa! Can I talk to you in the back room for a minute?"

Syaoran swallowed the lump in his throat, not liking the look on Tomoyo's face. It was the all-too familiar, 'I've got something to show you' look. Despite the fear welling up inside of him, he followed Tomoyo to the back room of the classroom, while Sakura took her seat in the classroom.

Tomoyo shut the door behind them and pulled out her video camera.

'Oh no...' Syaoran thought, 'She must have caught me doing something...please don't let it be embarrassing...'

Tomoyo grinned in her own sweet way.

"I have some video footage that you might find...familiar." Tomoyo said, turning on the camera.

As the image came into focus, Syaoran felt the air catch in his throat.

"How did you? OH KAMI-SAMA!!!"

Syaoran watched himself talking to his bathroom mirror, as if the mirror was Sakura. He was confessing his love. Tomoyo's grin spread wider, and that really scared him.

"That's not all!"

She fast-forwarded the tape and pressed play again. 

"Are you spying on me all the time or what?!?!"

He turned his attention toward the screen and gasped, his eyes bulging outward.

"Masaka...how? HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO FOLLOW ME??!!" he demanded.

Tomoyo smirked.

"That's easy," she said, "I already knew where you were going, so I just waited there."

On the screen, Syaoran could be seen up in a tree, a very familiar tree outside the Kinomoto house. The screen was dark, indicating that it was night, but Syaoran was crawling along the limb of the tree toward an open window with pink curtains. The camera did a close up on inside the window, where Sakura was sleeping in bed, facing opposite of the camera. Syaoran outstretched hand suddenly came into the shot, reaching toward the window and almost grasping the edge. "Almost there..." he whispers. Suddenly, a large creak is heard, followed by a snap. Then the camera follows Syaoran as he and the limb go tumbling to the ground. Next, a door slam is heard, and the camera swerves over to the front door, where a tall figure is running toward the broken limb. That figure of course being none other than Kinomoto Toya. The camera moves back and forth as the two young men eye each other, until Toya steps forward in an outrage.

"YOU AGAIN!!!??? GAKI!?!" he roars, "IT'S TOO LATE FOR YOU TOO BE WORKING ON A PROJECT, YOU'RE NOT FOOLING ME THIS TIME!!"

The camera finally fades out as an enraged Toya is chasing Syaoran down the street.

"I've got a few other things-"

"NO MORE!!" Syaoran pleaded.

Tomoyo smiled.

"I know someone who would just LOVE to see this!" Tomoyo announced excitedly.

Syaoran's face went pale.

"No...NO!!! Daijoudi-san, PLEASE!!!" he pleaded, practically on his hands and knees.

Tomoyo ignored him.

"Sakura-chan!" she called, "I've got something to show you!"

"I'll do whatever you want!!" he continued to grovel, "Just don't show her anything!!!!!!"

Tomoyo turned off the camera.

"Okay, fine." she said, "There's something I want to know ab-."

Syaoran quickly stood up.

"Anything!" he interrupted.

"Admit that you like Sakura-chan." she said simply.

Syaoran sighed in defeat.

"Okay, okay. I'm in lov-I mean, I like Sakura-chan a little..." he admitted, "Happy now?" 

Tomoyo grinned from ear to ear.

"Yep. That's all I wanted to know." she said, heading for the door.

"Wait, Daijoudi-san!! You can't tell anyone about this, okay?"

"No problem, Li-kun." Tomoyo winked, "Your secret is safe with me."

As the door to the backroom shut, Syaoran slid back against the wall and groaned inwardly.

'It could have been worse...' he thought, trying to look on the brighter side, 'It could have been Hiiragizawa with the dirt on me, instead of Tomoyo.'

He hoisted himself off the floor and returned to the classroom. It was much more populated now, as the bell was to ring within a couple minutes. He went back to his seat and decided to get his class materials out.

'No more thoughts about Sakura...' he thought, 'I've got to keep my mind off her somehow...'

He cleared his thoughts as best he could, and turned his attention toward the conversation Tomoyo and Sakura were having.

'There's nothing wrong with eavesdropping.' he thought, 'Besides...maybe I can dig up some dirt on Tomoyo...'

"Look at this Sakura-chan! I got you doing this on film yesterday!" Tomoyo whispered excitedly.

Syaoran noticed that Sakura's face reddened quite a bit as she tried turning the camera off.

"Tomoyo-chaaaaaan! What if he sees that?!"

Syaoran lifted up out of his seat a little to get a better look.

"Who?" he asked curiously, "See what?"

Sakura had finally managed to turn the camera off and jumped practically three feet in the air when she heard Syaoran's voice.

"HOE!?!?!"

Syaoran desperately tried to keep the thought from coming to his mind, but he couldn't stop it.

"I love the way you say "hoe" Sakura, it's so kawaii..."

Both young teens seemed to turn the exact same shade of red. Tomoyo couldn't believe her ears.

"Did I just hear the word "kawaii" come out of Li Syaoran's mouth?!"

Eriol was practically rolling on the floor with laughter.

"That's enough back there!" Terada-sensei called, "It's time for class to start now."

"Gomen, sensei." the four said in unison.

***************************************

"Do you mind if I walk home with you?" Sakura asked, catching up to Syaoran.

"I don't mind." he answered, trying to fight of a blush.

They walked in silence for awhile, until Sakura finally decided to strike up a conversation.

"Y'know Syaoran...you were acting kind of strange today..." Sakura started.

"Gomen, I'm still not sure exactly what's going on..."

Sakura smiled brightly, which made his face color a little.

"Actually, I kind of liked the way you were today." she admitted, putting her hands behind her back, "You don't normally talk much, but today you talked quite a bit. It was nice."

Syaoran slowed down his pace until he came to a stop. 

"Is something wrong?" Sakura asked, backing up to him.

"...I think it may be a black clow card." he stated.

"Do you want to talk to Kero-chan about it?" Sakura asked.

"No." he said firmly, "I'll figure it out on my own."

"Okay..."

Sakura noticed a pouch swinging off his right wrist and made a grab for it.

"Hey!"

"What's this?" Sakura asked curiously, swinging it in front of his face.

Syaoran made a swipe for it, but missed.

"Give it back!" he said, trying to get it away from her.

"Can't you just tell me what's in it?" Sakura asked, still keeping the pouch from his reach.

"N-no!" he sputtered, turning red in the face, "It's personal!"

"Does Syaoran-kun have a secret?" Sakura teased.

"You'd better give it back Sakura." Syaoran warned.

"And why would that be?" Sakura challenged.

Syaoran smiled devilishly.

"Because Daijoudi-san told me all your ticklish spots!"

"Not fair!!" Sakura cried, running down the street, Syaoran hot on her trail.

He caught up to her near her house and began tickling her all over.

"Hahahahahahahahahhah-Okay!hahahahah-stopHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Syaoran finally managed to get the pouch and promptly stopped tickling her. Sakura got up and went up her walkway.

"I guess you win."

"Darn right I won." he said, shoving the pouch into his pocket.

The front door suddenly swung open and Toya stepped out.

"What the hell are you doing back here AGAIN?!" he yelled, "I told you to stay away from my house and my sister, you gaki!"

Syaoran tried to fight the urge that was welling up inside of him, but couldn't quite stop it.

"Come over here and say that!!!" he challenged, immediately regretting what he said.

Toya punched his fist into his hand and headed for Syaoran.

"My pleasure, gaki."

Syaoran ran forward as fast as he could, Toya not too far behind him. He dashed all the way to his apartment and locked the door behind him.

'Why couldn't I have just kept my mouth shut?'

He sighed and wiped his sweaty brow with his sleeve.

'It's all because of this stupid card.' he thought.

**************************************

Time passed by and it was getting dark out. Syaoran sat in his favorite chair and looked out his front window.

'All this time being home and I still can't get her off my mind.'

He slowly got up from the chair and walked over to his sliding doors. He pushed them open and walked onto the small deck, leaning over the railing. From the high floor of his apartment, he could see Sakura's house.

"Sakura..." he whispered.

His voice faded into the starry night sky and he sighed. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the pouch and opened it. He dumped the contents into his hand and gazed on them fondly. A clean white hankie, a hair tie, a ribbon, a tiny crystal trinket, and a small silver ring with a little pink stone in it.

'Things of Sakura's that I've collected.'

He had gotten the hankie when Sakura bandaged a wound he had gotten protecting her from a card, the hair tie was left behind after a card capture, as well as the ribbon, and the trinket and the ring were found in her school uniform pocket (when he had taken care of her as a baby). He really had planned to give them back to her right away, but something inside him told him to keep them for now, so he did. He looked back over at her house again, and noticed that all the lights were out. He placed her belongings back in the pouch and put the pouch back in his pocket.

'I guess this is an urge I don't want to fight...' he thought, gracefully leaping from the balcony to the ground.

Upon reaching the grass below, he dashed toward the yellow house in the distance. With his speed, it didn't take him long to get there. He stood at the base of the tree for a few moments, just gazing up at the open window.

'Just a quick 'goodnight' and I'll leave.' he decided, making his way up the tree as he had many times before.

Since the largest limb was missing from his last visit, he had to use a less sturdy limb to get to the window. Although the branch did wobble quite a bit, he somehow made it safely into her room. 

He stood there for a while, just watching her sleep peacefully, his hand resting against the side of the window. He was thinking about her so much back at the apartment, that he just had to come see her.

"Goodnight, Sakura..." he whispered.

He was about to turn and leave, but stopped.

'Would she mind if I...'

He quietly crept up to her sleeping figure and leaned over the side of her bed. The moonlight seemed to carve around her, creating an almost ethereal glow. Raising a hand up to her face, he gently moved the bangs from her forehead. Slowly, he bent his head down to her level and gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek.

"Aishiteru..." he whispered softly into her ear.

Sakura smiled in her sleep and a slight blush seemed to spread across her face. Syaoran stood back up and smiled down on her fondly. He suddenly felt that strange pounding in his head again and fell to his knees. As the pain left his head, not one, but two cards materialized into his hand. They beared the titles "The Thought" and "The Urge".

'That pretty much explains what was going on today.' he decided.

He stood up and was about to place the cards with the other few Sakura had captured, but noticed something weird.

The backs of the cards had turned to a pure, pristine white.

'How?' Syaoran thought, 'Weren't they black clow cards?'

Before placing them with the other cards, he turned the other three over that Sakura had captured.

They too were white.

'That's strange...why are they all white?'

He shook the thoughts out of his head and decided to head back to his apartment before it got too late. Taking one last long gaze at Sakura, he hopped out the window and headed back. Sakura sighed dreamily in her sleep and wrapped her hands lovingly around her blanket.

"Syaoran..." she mumbled, "Aishiteru..."

That's it for Chapter 4! I hope you enjoyed reading it. I'll try to have Chapter 5 out sooner than this (gomen that it took so long). I'd be very grateful if you reviewed! Helpful criticism is extremely important to an author! Arigato for reading, and stay tuned for the next chapter!! ^_^

Japanese terms: Hai-yes masaka-impossible kawaii-cute Iie-no sensei-teacher aishiteru-I love you gaki-brat Ano-(equivalent to:)um/uh gomen-sorry gomen nasai-please forgive me baka-stupid/idiot nande mo nai-nothing hoe-a word Sakura made up arigato-thank you 


	5. The Forbidden Clow Chapter 5: Don't Wann...

Konnichiwa minna-san!!I hope you didn't have to wait too long for this chapter.I kinda got the idea from one of the Ranma 1/2 mangas, but it fit the story nicely.^_^Gomen, if that upsets anyone.I hope everyone has been enjoying the story to this point, 'cause I've been working at trying to make it interesting.I appreciate reviews a lot, and I hope you can spare the time to tell me what you think.Arigato again to all the people who reviewed so far!You guys rock!!^^I once again dedicate this fic to you!Happy reading! ^_^ ~Manda-chan

Disclaimer: I don't own any of CCS, if you try to sue me, I'll sick my Kero-chan plushy on you!^^

The Forbidden Clow Chapter 5: Don't Wanna Fall In Love

"You seem quiet tonight, Sakura."Fujitaka pointed out, "Is something bothering you?"

Sakura gave a reassuring smile to her father from across the table.

"No, everything's fine, otousan."

Toya grunted.

"It better not have anything to do with that gaki..." he mumbled.

Sakura glared at him.

"Syaoran's not a gaki, Ni-chan." she stated.

"Whatever, Kaijuu."

"And I'm NOT a KAIJUU!" Sakura added irritably.

Just when it looked like a war was about to erupt between the siblings, Fujitaka decided to step in.

"Alright, that's enough you two." he said firmly, "We're eating right now, save you squabble for later."

Toya and Sakura exchanged glares and reluctantly went back to their meal.Sakura was the first to finish and rose from her chair to put the dishes in the sink.

"Arigato otousan!" she said appreciatively, "The meal was excellent."

Fujitaka nodded and smiled.

"I know how much you like noodles." he chuckled. 

Sakura rummaged through the refrigerator for desert and found some chocolate pudding and some jello.

'Kero-chan is going to be ecstatic!' she thought, 'He LOVES chocolate pudding.'

She grabbed one chocolate pudding and one green-colored container of jello.Grabbing a couple spoons in the process, she headed for the stairwell.

"I'm going to have desert upstairs." she announced.

Fujitaka nodded and went back to eating.

"Two again?!" Toya asked, eyes wide.

"Why not?" Sakura countered.

"Because you've been doing that for months now!" Toya said.

"But I'm a growing kaijuu!" Sakura replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

He didn't argue any further and walked into the family room.Sakura in the meantime, headed to her room.She heard loud noises coming from inside and wondered what was going on. She opened the door and instantly sweat-dropped, finding Kero in the corner playing video games.

'I'm amazed Ni-chan and otousan haven't found out about him yet.' she thought, 'He's so LOUD!'

She walked in and shut the door, which to her dismay, still didn't get the guardian beast's attention.He was tapping the controller buttons intently and moving along with the game.

"Kero-chan?" she asked, trying to pry his attention from the glowing TV screen, "Hello over there!?"

He continued to ignore her (or perhaps the TV was too loud for him to hear anything else).Sakura sighed and flopped down on her bed.

"And to believe I went through the trouble of bringing you pudding..."

Kero's ears twitched slightly and he dropped the controller, immediately flying over to the bed.

"Did you say...pudding?" he asked, tiny bits of saliva forming at the corners of his mouth.

"Maybe." Sakura said casually, pretending to be very interested in the fabric of her blanket, "But SOMEONE seemed to be too caught up in his game to say anything."

"Gomen!" Kero apologized, realizing that he would need to do some kissing-up to get his paws on the chocolate pudding, "I was getting really far Sakura, and I almost made it to the boss!I guess I didn't hear you come in."

"Well, here you go." Sakura said, tossing him the pudding, "One of the last two chocolate puddings."

Kero's eyes lit up as he caught the pudding in midair.

"Arigato!" he said, ripping the lid off and digging in.

"Y'know Kero-chan, you might want to use a spoon." Sakura commented, raising an eyebrow at his chocolate-streaked golden face.

Kero took the spoon from her outstretched hand.

"Heh heh...gomen."

Sakura watched wide-eyed as he practically inhaled the rest of the pudding.

"Better hope you don't get a stomach ache." Sakura reprimanded.

Kero shrugged her off.

"Nah." he said, patting his tummy, "I'm the Guardian Beast of the Clow cards, I can handle it."

Sakura chuckled.

"Sure you can, just like you handled guarding the Clow cards." 

"I want to see you guard a book that long and not fall asleep!" Kero said indignantly, "It's tough to stay awake for so many years!"

Sakura smiled lopsidedly.

"Oh, and your job was just SO tough!"

"It was sometimes!" Kero shot back.

"Whatever." Sakura replied, giving up on the subject.

"By the way, I get the last pudding tomorrow, right?" he prodded.

"I'll think about it." Sakura said, opening her jello.

She smiled at the small container of jello.

'Green...Syaoran's favorite color.'

Sakura couldn't help but blush at the thought of him.

'I wonder what he's doing right now...' her mind wandered off, 'Maybe he's practicing with his sword.'

An image of Syaoran shirtless, swinging his sword around, suddenly popped into her mind and her blush deepened into a dark pink.Kero raised an eyebrow at her.

"Off in la-la land?" he questioned.

"Hanyaaaaaaaannnnnnn...." Sakura sighed mindlessly.

"I take that as a yes." he muttered, floating over to the few new cards that Sakura had captured.

He grabbed them off the desk and brought them back over to Sakura.Unfortunately, she was still in 'hanyan' mode and currently ignoring him.

"Sakura?"

"Huh?" she asked, popping out of dreamland.

She saw Kero standing there holding the cards and looking up at her.

"Hai?....Did you say something?" she asked cluelessly.

Kero sweat-dropped.

"Done daydreaming about the Chinese gaki now?" he asked, somewhat annoyed.

Sakura's face reddened noticeably and she opened her mouth to deny it, but the words didn't come out.Kero raised a paw up and she blinked back at him.

"Save it.I already know how much you like him, there's no use denying it."

Sakura looked down, smiling sheepishly.

"U-un." she admitted.

"Anyway," Kero started, changing the subject, "These are the cards you caught so far, am I right?"

Sakura nodded, unsure of what he was getting at.

"Did you notice anything...weird about them?" Kero asked curiously.

Sakura shook her head in the negative.Kero turned the card around and held it up to her face.

"Oh!It's white!" Sakura realized.

"The black Clow cards turn white after you seal them." Kero explained.

'And after they've finished their role in this test...' he added mentally.

"Why?" Sakura asked, puzzled.

"It's a mystery." Kero lied.

"Kero-chan?"

"Hai?"

Sakura's eyelids were fluttering up and down and she looked drowsy.

"I feel...kinda...dizzy...lightheaded"

'Damn!' Kero cursed inwardly, 'I know what this is...'

"Close your eyes." Kero instructed.

Sakura did as she was told.

"Okay...why?" she asked.

Kero ignored her question and continued on.

"Does anything feel different?" he asked.

Sakura stopped for a moment.

"This may sound weird, Kero-chan," she started, "but it feels like my heart is on fire or something!"

"I was afraid of that..." Kero mumbled to himself.

"Can I open my eyes yet?" Sakura asked, "I don't feel dizzy anymore."

"NO!" Kero yelled.

Sakura seemed a little taken aback by his tone of voice.He cleared his throat and corrected himself.

"Gomen." he apologized, "I mean no, not yet."

Minutes passed by and Sakura groaned.

"Alright, Kero-chan, tell me right now!" she demanded, "You know something, don't you?!"

Kero sweat-dropped and faked a laugh as best he could.

"Ha ha..heh...Now why would I know anything?"

"Then if you don't, I can open my eyes." she decided.

"No!Don't open them!" Kero warned, "You'll regret it."

"Then tell me what's going on."

Kero sighed in defeat.

"Okay, okay.It's a black Clow card..." he said.

"It is?How can you tell?" Sakura questioned.

"I remember this one." 

"Well....what is it?" Sakura pushed.

"The Cupid card." Kero explained, "To put it simply, the first male person you lay eyes on...you'll fall in love with."

"HOOOOEEEEE!?!?!" Sakura cried in disbelief.

"Don't panic!" Kero said, "And whatever you do, DON'T open your eyes!"

"What do I do?!" Sakura pressed, "I have school tomorrow!"

Kero seemed to be in thought.

"Hmmmmm....You're going to need to call the Chinese gaki." Kero decided.

Her heart skipped a beat at the mention of him, but she tried not to pay attention to it.

"Why him?" Sakura asked, bewildered.

"It's not by my personal choice, but I think we can trust him to help you out with this." Kero admitted.

"Un.You should find the phone on my desk, press the green button to dial Syaoran's number, and then hand me the phone." Sakura instructed.

Kero obediently retrieved the pink cell phone and handed it to Sakura after he pushed the button she indicated.After a couple rings, Syaoran answered the phone.He was laughing from his side of the line, apparently watching something on TV.

"Moshi moshi." he said, in between chuckles.

"Syaoran-kun?"

After hearing the melodical voice, Syaoran instantly knew who was on the other line.

"H-Hai, Sakura?" he asked, surprised that it was her.

"What's that sound?Are you watching a movie?"

"Ano, Iie."

Syaoran was desperately fiddling with the remote, trying to shut off the video of one of Sakura's early card captures before she heard anything.He finally managed to turn it off and turned his full attention to the phone.

"There's a slight...problem..." Sakura started, hoping not to sound too worried.

"Problem?" he asked, a hint of concern in his deep tone.

"Un."

She paused, taking a deep breath.

"A black Clow card problem..." 

Syaoran silenced on the other end momentarily.

"Okay, what can I do?" he asked, becoming very serious, "Do you want me to come over?"

"Ano, ano...."

"Is Toya there?" he asked.

"Iie..."

"I can come through the front door then?"

"Iie..."

"Doushite?What's going on?"

"I don't think I'd be able to make it to the door to let you in..."

"Nani!?!"

"Gomen, I'm not supposed to open my eyes."

"Okay, now I'm thoroughly confused."

"That makes two of us." Sakura said, "Do you want me to have Kero-chan let you in?"

"Don't bother.Just have him open the window."

"The tree again, Syaoran?"

He shrugged on the other line.

"I'm used to it by now."

"Alright...if you're sure." she mumbled.

"Hai, I'll be there soon."

*Click*

"Kero-chan? Can you open the window please?" Sakura asked, gesturing toward that side of the room, since she couldn't see the window.

He didn't answer, but she heard the sound of the window being pulled up.

"Here." Kero said, handing her a piece of cloth, "Put this on."

"As a blindfold?" she asked, smoothing her fingers along the cloth.

"It should do for now, until we find something better."

Sakura shrugged and tied the fabric around her head, making a knot in the back. ***************************************

Li Syaoran walked toward the Kinomoto's house, hands in his pockets, a wistful expression glued onto his face.

'Baka...stop thinking about how enchanting her eyes are...you should be worried about what's wrong with her...' he thought.

He sighed and tried to focus on what the problem could be, but his mind kept wandering away.

'I wonder if Sakura realizes how kawaii she is when she's frustrated, when she's flustered...when she says "hoe"...when she's deep in thought...when she's clueless...'

A goofy grin spread across his face and remained all the rest of the way there.He climbed up to the room with ease and made his way to her bedside, where she was seated.He raised an eyebrow at the white cloth tied around her head, but didn't say anything about it.Suddenly, Kero popped out of nowhere, making a face at Syaoran.

"Chinese gaki."

"Stuffed animal." 

Sakura cleared her throat loudly from the bed.

"Now that everyone is acquainted, can we get this explained?" Sakura asked, a small sweat-drop forming on her head.

"What's this for?" Syaoran asked, making a gesture toward the blindfold.

He reached his hand out to take it off of her, but was stopped by Kero.

"Don't touch it!You'd regret it if you did."

"Why? Do you know what card it is?" Syaoran asked, aiming the question at Kero.

"The Cupid card." he stated.

"Nani?What's a 'cupid'?" Syaoran asked, never having heard the term before.

"Cupid was a being that made people fall in love."

"I don't like the sound of this..." Syaoran muttered, "Does it have anything to do with Sakura being blindfolded?"

Kero nodded.

"That's the problem, the first person of the opposite sex she lays eyes on, she'll fall hopelessly in love with." Kero explained.

Syaoran's mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out.

"How long can this go on Kero-chan?" Sakura asked.

Kero shook his head sadly.

"Don't know.I guess it stays in effect until the card is sealed."

Syaoran still seemed almost speechless.

"H-How is she going to be able to walk around like that?" he asked.

"Ah!That's where you come in!" Kero announced.

"Me?" Syaoran asked, pointing to himself, "What do you want me to do?"

"Let Sakura look at you." Kero said nonchalantly.

"HOE!?!?!!?!?"

"NANI!?!?!!?!?"

Kero glanced at the bright red faced, sputtering Syaoran, and sweat-dropped.

"I was JOKING!!" he yelled, "Do you think I would actually put Sakura through something as horrible as that?!"

Syaoran made an angry face at the insult.

"Honestly!" Kero continued, "Like I would knit my mistress's heart and soul to a Chinese gaki like you!"

"Kero, that's enough." Sakura said, hoping to change the subject.

Kero gave up on insulting Syaoran and turned away from him and Sakura, crossing his arms.

"Would you mind telling me what I really need to do?" Syaoran asked.

"Since I'll be unable to accompany Sakura to school and elsewhere, I need you to play aide and bodyguard for her."

"Aide I understand, Kero-chan," Sakura interrupted, "But bodyguard??"

"I get his drift." Syaoran replied, "People are going to be trying to pull that blindfold off of you."

"Oh...I see."

"Sakura, can you come up with a story to fool your family with?" Syaoran asked.

"Un." she nodded, "I'll think of something."

Syaoran turned to Kero.

"I should come pick her up for school tomorrow then, right?"

"Sounds good.But whatever you do, don't let her brother take the blindfold off."

"You don't have to worry about that." Syaoran scoffed, "I won't let him come near her."

"Alright, now that everything is clear, the Chinese gaki can leave." Kero said, waving Syaoran away.

"Just a minute." Syaoran said, removing a green sash from around his waist.

He sat on the bed just behind Sakura and she let out a small "hoe?".

"Relax." Syaoran instructed, "Don't open your eyes, I'm just removing the blindfold."

"O-okay." Sakura stammered, unsure about what he was doing.

He untied the cloth from her head and set it on the bed next to her.Then he took his green sash and proceeded to tie it around her head.

"Hoe?"

"I thought my satin sash would be more comfortable for you than that grainy white linen thing." he explained, carefully (yet expertly) tying a firm knot with the green cloth.

Sakura blushed, feeling the tips of his fingers brush the back of her neck.

"Arigato, Syaoran-kun." she said softly.

"Go ahead and get some sleep." Syaoran instructed, taking his weight of the bed, "I'll be back tomorrow morning to bring you to school."

Syaoran went to the window and gracefully leapt to the ground, leaving Sakura on her bed in a daze, a faint blush painted across her cheeks.She breathed in deeply, taking in the scent of the sash.

'It smells spicy...like cinnamon.' she thought dreamily, rubbing a piece of the excess green cloth against the side of her face, 'What a wonderful smell...'

With Kero's help in finding her clothes, she changed into her pajamas and hopped into bed.

"Good night, Kero-chan." she whispered, hugging the soft satin trails of the cinnamonny-smelling satin.

"Good night, Sakura." Kero answered, going to his little bed in the drawer.

**************************************

Toya narrowed his eyes at the Chinese boy outside the front door.

"What are you doing here?" he spat.

"I came to pick Sakura up for school." Syaoran replied casually, trying his best not to look suspicious.

"She won't be awake for a good fifteen minutes yet." Toya said, checking his watch, "Go on to school gaki, you're not welcome here."

Syaoran clenched his teeth together.

'I should have known it was going to come to this.' he thought.

"She...uh...said she would be up already." Syaoran pushed on.

"Well she's not." Toya said coldly, "So LEAVE."

"Let me just go wake her up then." he replied, walking into the house uninvited.

"EXCUSE ME!?!?" Toya exploded.

Syaoran kept his cool.

"What?" he asked, crossing his arms.

Toya looked ready to erupt at any second.

"Do you think it's NORMAL for Chinese gakis to break into people's houses at seven o'clock in the morning!?!?!"

"We're working on a very important project." Syaoran stated, matter-of-factly.

Toya glared at him, using in arm to prevent him from getting any closer to the stairway.

"Do you really think I'm going to buy that one AGAIN!?" 

Syaoran ignored him and tried to make it by the outstretched arm.

"WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS TRYING TO GET INTO HER ROOM!?!!?" Toya yelled, grabbing the front of Syaoran's uniform.

"Do I have to repeat myself?" Syaoran asked irritably, wrenching his shirt from the iron grip.

"YOUR ATTITUDE IS REALLY STARTING TO PISS ME OFF GAKI!!!"

"I don't think you should try to pick a fight with me." Syaoran warned, narrowing his eyes.

'I've got to stop him from seeing Sakura somehow...' Syaoran thought, "Even if I have to fight him...'

Toya assumed a fighting stance and Syaoran took out one of his ofuda [is that what they're called??].Syaoran smirked.

'This ought to buy me some time.'

He threw the paper at Toya's head and it landed on top, immediately setting his hair on fire.It took a moment for Toya to realize what happened, but he panicked as soon as he felt the burning.

"AGGGHHH!!! DAMN YOU, GAKI!!!!" he cursed, running for the bathroom.

Syaoran saw his chance and ran up the flight of stairs, coming to a stop at Sakura's door.

"Are you up yet?" he questioned, knocking on the door.

"Hai." came a muffled reply, "You can come in, I'm all set."

Syaoran opened the door and found Sakura sitting on the edge of her bed in her school uniform.The sash was all messed up and lopsided.

"Want me to fix this?" he asked, tugging one of the trails of the sash.

He didn't really wait for a reply though, he just removed it and retied it quickly.

"How's that?" he asked.

She smiled.

"Perfect."

"Let's go then." Syaoran said, taking one of Sakura's hands.

She involuntarily blushed at the tiny action and allowed him to lead her downstairs.Just as they were about to leave, loud footsteps quickly entered the room.

'Damnit...we almost made it.' Syaoran cursed.

He turned around and faced Toya, who was breathing rather hard and had a smoldering mass of black on top of his head.

"JUST A DAMN MINUTE!!"

Syaoran shrugged.

"What?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'WHAT?'!?!!?" Toya raged, "YOU SET MY HAIR ON FIRE, AND THEN I FIND YOU TAKING MY SISTER OUT OF THE HOUSE BLINDFOLDED!!!WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?!"

"Ni-chan, just calm down." Sakura advised.

"NOT UNTIL I FIND OUT WHAT THIS GAKI IS PLANNING!!!" Toya demanded.

Sakura sweat-dropped.

"It's another project for school." she lied, "I'm supposed to be blind for a day, and Syaoran is supposed to help me so I don't run into things, fall, stuff like that."

Toya blinked a few times, trying to take in the information.

"How much is the gaki paying you to say that?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nothing Ni-chan, it's true." 

"Well I don't buy it." Toya said, stepping forward, "I'm going to take that thing off your head."

Syaoran jumped in front of Sakura, narrowing his eyes dangerously at Toya.

"No you're not." he stated coldly, emphasizing each work separately.

'I hope I don't regret this...' Syaoran thought.

With one swift movement, he kicked Toya in the stomach.As he doubled over, Syaoran grabbed Sakura's hand and ran out the door, taking off for the school.

"Syaoran...slow down..." Sakura pleaded, running out of breath, "I can't keep up!"

Loud curses filled the air not to far behind and Syaoran halted.

"This will make things easier for both of us." Syaoran said, picking Sakura up in his arms.

Sakura's face flushed as he ran and she gripped the front of his shirt for balance.As they entered the school, Syaoran put Sakura down, but continued to hold her hand.

"I...think we...lost him..." he wheezed.

"Sorry about Ni-chan..." Sakura apologized.

"Don't be." Syaoran said, "He's just worried about you, I can understand that."

Sakura silenced for a few moments, contemplating something over in her mind.

"So, what are we supposed to tell everyone?" she questioned, a little fear present in her voice.

"We'll think of something." He assured, carefully leading her into the classroom.

As he approached their desks, he received countless strange looks and glances from the other classmates.Eriol was smiling a little too mischievously, and that caused a lump to form in the young warrior's throat.Eriol was clearly going to be a problem today.

As for Daidouji Tomoyo, you didn't have to guess what she was doing.Camera ever poised and ready, she was taping the unfolding scene with a large grin plastered to her lips.

"Explanation?" Eriol asked casually, his smile stretching out a little farther.

"Maybe later." Syaoran replied none-too-nicely, "For now, consider it as 'Doctor's orders'".

Eriol ignored his descendents comment and quickly snatched one of the trails of the blindfold as Sakura sat in her seat.He gave it a small tug to get Sakura's attention, un-noticeably receiving a scowl from Chinese youth.

"What's this for?" he asked innocently.

Syaoran wrenched the green cloth from his grip and narrowed his eyes at his dark-haired ancestor.

"Try to touch that again and you won't have a hand." he said coldly.

Eriol just smiled in response.He was half the reincarnation of Clow Reed, so he could sense the strange reddish glow of the magic that seemed to radiate from the Card Mistress.Magic was at work here, that much was obvious.

'But what?' he questioned himself mentally.

Eriol seemed to be deprived of some of the important memories previously belonging to Clow Reed.But there was a familiararity that seemed to dawn on him about these new Clow Cards.Perhaps if he probed further in his mind, he could come up with something to help the dear Mistress and her protective warrior with this card.

'Or cause them a little more mischief.' He thought with a wicked grin.

Sure, Hiiragizawa liked helping them out, but he also took a strange pleasure in adding his own little quirk to the puzzle.

Besides, he could plainly see how attracted his descendant was to the kind-yet-naïve Mistress of the Clow cards, and he was sure the feeling was mutual from her.He kind of banded with Daidouji Tomoyo on the subject, who also was sure of the unseen love between them.

Eriol let out a small gasp as a memory of Clows' suddenly floated into his mind's view.

'Let the cards play their role in the enlightenment, bringing forth the truth hidden from blind hearts.Love undefined, let the two stand as one, to face unimaginable challenge from the impending disaster.' 

Eriol let his breath come out in slow, shallow gasps, barely allowing enough time for the intake of air. 

'If only I could have realized this earlier...' he thought, trying his best to calm down, 'My descendant and the Clow card Mistress are the two mentioned in the legend...the fate of the earth is lying on their shoulders alone.'

He stole glances at each of them from behind the shield of his glasses.Though the teens had no knowledge of it, their future held unfathomable danger and the fate of the entire planet.

Tomoyo turned around to face Eriol, lulling him from his thoughts on the sudden revelation.

"Eriol-kun, are you alright?" she questioned, worry reflecting in the depths of her amethyst-colored eyes.

"Fine." He replied, letting a small smile cross his face.

His eyes spoke a whole different story to Tomoyo, but she didn't press any further.

'No need to reveal this to her or the others now,' he thought, 'I'll have to have a chat with Keroberus about it though...'

"Alright class, settle down." Terada-sensei instructed, "Roll call."

When he spoke out Sakura's name, his eyes glided over to where she was seated.He raised an eyebrow quizzically in her direction.

"Kinomoto-san, how do you expect to take notes with a blindfold on?" 

Sakura stiffened in her chair, alerting Syaoran to her lack of an immediate answer.He quickly stood up in her defense.

"She's been ordered by her doctor to keep her eyes covered for twenty-four hours." He explained, trying to make himself as believable as possible, "Emergency eye surgery last night has caused her loss of vision."

"What exactly is the blindfold for then?" Terada asked, a note of disbelief in his voice from the Chinese teen's story.

"Her eyes are extremely sensitive to any type of light." He stated.

Sakura groaned inwardly.She was gratefully for his help and support on the matter, but he was creating quite a story for her to live up to.She silently pleaded that Terada-sensei wouldn't push into the matter by talking to her father.That would definitely create un-needed problem and a lot of stress in the process.

The sensei sighed in frustration.

"I trust that you will pay extra attention in class today, Kinomoto-san?" he questioned, giving in to Syaoran's story.

"HAI!!!" she exclaimed, unable to contain her relief.

Sakura could audibly hear a large sigh from Syaoran and stifled a giggle that was rising in her throat.Even though she couldn't see him, she turned around in her chair to face him.

"Arigato, Syaoran-kun." she near whispered.

Syaoran felt his face heat up but made no attempt to stop it, because he knew that she wouldn't be able to see it.

"I-It was nothing." he stammered.

Sakura smiled brightly, causing his already bright red shade to darken.He silently wished he could see her bright green eyes, full of life and happiness, but he knew that at least for today, it wasn't possible.

She turned her attention back to the lecture Terada-sensei had been giving and Syaoran slowly fell deeper into his sensual, almost tangible daydreaming of the cherry blossom Card Mistress.He was overjoyed that he could think freely again.Finally safe from the torture of the horrible card duo that had haunted him two days ago.

'Why did Clow create such cards anyway?' 

He turned to glance at Eriol, who seemed to be deciphering something silently to himself.Syaoran couldn't help but wonder why he didn't seem so intent on causing trouble today, as he normally did.

This was indeed, not very Eriol-like behavior.It almost struck some curiosity in the Chinese card captor. 

As if realizing that he was being watched, Eriol turned to his descendant and gave him the all-too-familiar evil smile.Syaoran sweat-dropped and sighed mentally.

'Hiiragizawa Eriol change?Not a chance.He probably only had a brief "Clow Reed" moment or something.' Syaoran's mind assured.

He turned his attention back to his object of affection, who was seemingly trying to take notes without her eyesight.He chuckled slightly at how she was trying so hard to concentrate what the teacher was talking about.She finally gave up on scribbling endless unreadable markings on the notebook page and let her pencil fall to the desk with a small clang.Syaoran leaned forward over his desk and whispered the best words of comfort he could come up with.

"Don't worry, Sakura." he breathed gently against the back of her neck, "You can copy either mine or Daidouji-san's notes later if you'd like."

Sakura almost melted at the feather-light feeling of his warm breath against her bare neck.His voice was so soothing and full of reassurance.It gave her a slight boost of confidence, as well as a pink-tinted face.

"A-a-arigato." she replied, voice almost silent.

**************************************

The first half of the day went well enough, but lunchtime seemed to carry an invisible cloud of trouble.Kinomoto Sakura frowned at the sudden chills she was getting.Syaoran had to leave temporarily for a request from a teacher and she had refused to go with him, despite his efforts of coaxing. As it was, he only agreed because he was sure Daidouji and Hiiragizawa would be with her.

But she hadn't even seen Tomoyo or Eriol once since the end of class, which left her to fend for herself.She had only been sitting under the shelter of the tree for a few minutes before she heard footsteps approaching.She silently hoped it was Syaoran, or even Eriol for that matter.But her feeling grew slightly more anxious as not just one, but many footsteps approached her.

"What's with the blindfold?" a rather commanding male voice asked.

"N-nothing." Sakura stuttered nervously, trying not to sound as afraid as she was.

"Are you blind?" another one questioned, ignoring her previous answer.

"N-no..." she replied.

She silently contemplated telling them Syaoran's story, but couldn't seem to find enough courage to even begin.

"Why hide your eyes, beautiful?" a tall brown haired, ebony-eyed boy asked.

Sakura recognized the voice and frowned.She knew who the group of antagonizers were now.They were from her sixth hour class, a group that seemed to despise Syaoran for some unknown reason.As Tomoyo put it, the group of boys "hit on her", but she never really could figure out what that meant.Nonetheless, she didn't particularly like any of them.

"I see that your protector doesn't seem to be with you today." he pointed out, with a smirk that Sakura didn't see, "Where is Li-san today?"

"He...He went to take care of something." Sakura replied softly, slowly backing up toward the tree for some form of protection.

"I see." the male voice continued on, coming closer to the helpless form below the tree, "I don't think he would mind if I took this off, would he?"

He tugged on the end of the green sash, in turn getting a gasp from the Clow Mistress.Before she could say any word of protest, he removed the blindfold with one large pull.Sakura squeezed her eyes shut tightly, desperately trying to keep them closed.The light that reached her eyelids begged her to open her emerald pools, but she wouldn't give in.To fall in love with one of these guys was the last thing she wanted to do.

'Syaoran!...' she called through her mind, hoping to reach him somehow, 'Please help me...'

"Still won't open your eyes?" the same boy questioned, "Did that Chinese gaki do something to you?"

Sakura shook her head vigorously.

"Syaoran would never harm me!" she almost yelled.

She toned her voice down in fear, still struggling to keep her aching eyes shut.

"What do you want from me?"

***************************************

Syaoran felt a ripple of what seemed like fear from his beloved's pink aura.He stopped moving the boxes for a moment, waiting for another sign from the magic aura.However, instead of receiving any signal from her aura, he could have sworn he heard her calling for help in his mind.Without wasting another second's time, he dropped the box of books he was holding and dashed for the spot where he had left Sakura.

He cursed at himself silently as he ran.He shouldn't have left her there alone to wait for her friends.He would be damned if he would let anything happen to her.

As he approached the tree, his amber eyes flared to life in a sudden fury.His delicate cherry blossom sat at the base of the tree, huddling to herself as best she could, surrounded by a group of four boys.His scowl deepened, especially at the dark blue-eyed figure holding his green sash-turned-blindfold.

He disliked the stuffed animal, Toya, and Hiiragizawa, but he hated this group even more.They were always flirting around with Sakura, who was too naive to realize the perverted tricks they played on her constantly.They toyed with her innocence, and that pissed Syaoran off more than a thousand Hiiragizawas or Toyas could.

He charged forward, ready to beat the living daylights out of each and every one of them.They would pay for picking on her like this.They would pay dearly.

Before the shocked group could realize what was going on, Syaoran brought his fist in contact with the tall boy's jaw, sending him back a few feet.He dropped the sash as well, which Syaoran caught with ease.

"So the wolf returns." the ebony-eyed boy quipped, rubbing his jaw.

Syaoran narrowed his eyes dangerously,the amber liquid in them burning like fire.

"That's your last warning, Lukoe." he stated, forming a protective shield in front of still-frightened Sakura, "Stay away from her."

Syaoran and Lukoe exchanged glares, each trying to bore each other down.However, it was clear Syaoran was the victor.

'For now.' Lukoe thought with a satisfied smirk.

Taking one more glance at the frightened cheerleader, Lukoe and his group turned and went back the way they came.

When they were safely out of sight, Syaoran rushed to Sakura's side and kneeled in the grass next to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern edging every little sound of his voice.

Sakura suddenly launched herself at him, burying her lovely tear-stained face into his shoulder.

"I was so scared..." she whimpered, sobs violently racking her body.

Syaoran wrapped his arms around her waist in a protective hug, wishing he could take all this pain away from her.

"It's alright now..." he soothed, gently rubbing a hand against her back, "Everything is going to be okay, don't you worry."

Her crying died down and the sobs slowly ceased.

"Thank you, Syaoran-kun...for everything..."

She pulled back with a small smile, which was generously returned by Syaoran, although she couldn't see it.Suddenly remembering something, Syaoran took the green sash from his pocket and tied it back around her head.

"Gomen, Sakura, that you had to go through that." 

Sakura shook her head, denying him to place any guilt on himself.

"I won't leave your side until the card is captured, I promise." Syaoran vowed.

"But Syaoran, your classes-"

"They'll understand." he interrupted, "There's no way you're going to your sixth hour class on you own, I know Lukoe will try to pull something."

Sakura didn't argue any further, she knew that Syaoran could be as stubborn as she was when he wanted to be.Besides, she was honored that he was so devoted to protecting her today.

'Or maybe he just wants to be sure the card is captured.' the dark side of her mind thought to voice.

She tried to ignore the nagging voice in her conscious, but it brought her spirits down slightly.The voice was right and she knew it.Syaoran may care for her like a friend, but it would never be more than that.He was more worried about capturing the Clow cards than he was about her.

***************************************

After Syaoran had cleared the situation to the rest of his teachers (with the help of the already-informed Terada-sensei) he was given permission to accompany Sakura to the rest of her classes for the day.They met up with Tomoyo and Eriol before lunch hour was completely over, and Syaoran took this opportunity to chew them out for leaving Sakura by herself.

"It wasn't our fault!" Tomoyo stated, "We thought she was with you!"

Syaoran didn't seem the least bit satisfied by her answer.

"How were we supposed to know you left her on her own?" Eriol asked, clearly not enjoying being blamed for the Card Mistress's distress.

"Gomen, Sakura..." Syaoran apologized again, "I should've taken you with me."

"Let's just hope we can survive the rest of the day." Sakura said jokingly, a tiny smile adorning her features.

Syaoran silently agreed and apologized to Tomoyo and Eriol.

When sixth hour came, Syaoran saw Lukoe with a smug look on his face, chatting with his three cronies.However, after catching sight of Syaoran, protectively holding Sakura's delicate hand, the smug look disappeared, replaced by a look that clearly demanded, "What in the seven hells are you doing here?!".Syaoran didn't pay him any more attention.Lukoe wouldn't be bothering Sakura this hour, that was for sure.

'Ah, just a couple more minutes to go.' Sakura thought, stretching her tired limbs out.

She had just received notice from Syaoran that the bell would be ringing soon.

'But what about this card?'

She frowned slightly, mindlessly playing with the tail of the soft green fabric.

'Not so much as a clue on how to capture it, the whole day!' she thought in frustration.

Her thoughts were suddenly cut short as the unmistakable ring of the last bell echoed through the classroom.The students hurried out, eager to go home after the torturous day of studying, as well as the sensei, who had some papers to pick up in the office before he left.

Soon the room was vacant, except for the teen card captors.Syaoran suddenly chuckled, grasping Sakura's attention as he laughed at some inside joke.

"What's so funny?" she asked, unable to stop her lips from curving up into a smile at the sound of his laughing.

Syaoran calmed down his laughing a little and Sakura turned to face him, blindfold still on her face.

"Nothing," he said nonchalantly, trying to hold back another fit of laughter, "I just liked the look on Ukiro's face when he saw me walk into the room with you sixth hour."

"You mean Lukoe-kun?" Sakura asked, unsure of his last name.

"Hai."

He started laughing all over again and Sakura joined in this time.She loved hearing him laugh, there was no doubt about that.They continued to laugh, until Sakura felt the sash fall from her face.She gasped outloud and her eyes fluttered open involuntarily.

Surprised emerald green met sunset amber and their world froze.

OOOOO!!! My first cliffhanger!! ^^I hope everyone enjoyed that chapter.Now you'll just have to wait and see what happens next!I'm not trying to be evil, I just talk to Eriol-kun a lot (he seemed to rub off on me a little bit, gomen).The real plot is slowly beginning to develop too.Please review if you have anything at all that you would like to say!I would like to know how I'm doing and if I'm keeping the readers interested! ^_^Arigato! ~Manda-chan

Japanese terms:Hai-yesgomen-sorryarigato-thank youotousan-father/daddygaki-bratNi-chan-(short for:)big brotherKaijuu-monsterhanyan-lovey-dovey sighun-yeahiie-nosensei-teacher


	6. The Forbidden Clow: When All Else Fails,...

Hey all! Here's Chapter 6 of the story. Sorry that it's a little shorter than usual, but I've been pressed for time. However, I would like to SPECIALLY thank the following people for reviewing chapter 5: ~*kokimiyoi*~, cherry blossoms little wolf2, ashley-chan, and Alicia. ARIGATO!^^ I hearby dedicate this chapter to you four! Enjoy!(I hope) ~Manda-chan

Disclaimer: CCS doesn't belong to me (but if it belongs to you and you're willing to sell something, let me know! ^^ j/k).

****

The Forbidden Clow Chapter 6: When All Else Fails, Clap Your Hands

The entire classroom seemed frozen, as if time and space weren't affecting it. Both teens just stared at each other like their eyes were glued to the spot. Syaoran took a deep breath, breaking the silence.

"S-Sakura?"

She blinked back at him, almost like she was trying to figure something out. Then she stood up slowly, still gazing at him with a confused expression.

"I thought I..."

Both Card Captors' attentions were suddenly focused to Sakura's desk, where a glowing card lay. Sakura picked it up, as the glow died away and gasped.

"It's the Cupid Card!" she realized, "But how?"

She looked toward Syaoran, who seemed every bit as puzzled as she was. They examined the card carefully, hoping to maybe find a clue about how it was sealed. Instead, the face of a young fair-haired boy holding a bow and arrow greeted them. The image wore a white toga-like garment with a red sash and a matching red tie around his head. Syaoran and Sakura looked to each other, to the card, back and forth, back and forth.

"Did it...do...?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Do you feel any different?"

Sakura pondered this, before giving him a frown. "Not one teeny bit."

He raised an eyebrow at her and gave the card a weird look. "Maybe it's a fake or something." he suggested.

Sakura shook her head. "I don't think so. It's got the aura of a Clow Card."

Syaoran looked confused. "I thought you couldn't feel the auras of these Clow Cards?"

"After they're sealed, they give their power to me." Sakura explained, "Then I can feel their auras."

Syaoran closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment. "Hmm...Yeah, you're right. I can feel them too."

Sakura ignored him and looked from left to right. "Syaoran-kun...do you hear that?"

He followed her gaze around the room. "Hear what?"

They both stood in silence for a moment, trying to catch any abnormal sounds. 

"Safurrraaa!!!" came a muffled call.

"It's coming from your backpack!" Syaoran realized.

Sakura quickly threw her backpack onto her desk and opened it up. Kero's dizzy golden head popped out, looking oxygen deprived. "What took you so long?" the guardian snapped, crawling onto her desk.

Sakura put her hands on her hips. "How was I supposed to know that you stole away in my backpack today?!"

"Gomen. Anyway...WHAT THE??!!" Kero's beady eyes suddenly grew larger. "Sakura! Where's your blindfold!? You were supposed to keep that on!"

Instead of replying to the frantic stuffed animal, Sakura pulled out the Cupid Card and held it right up to his face. 

Kero suddenly became proud. "Ah! You sealed it! Well done Sakura!"

Sakura sighed. "That's just it, Kero-chan. I don't know HOW I sealed it!"

"Well, what happened?" Kero asked.

Sakura felt her face take on a rosy hue of warmth. "Well, I was laughing...and then the blindfold fell off, and I kind of...accidentally looked at Syaoran-kun..." Sakura said softly, careful to avoid looking at Syaoran.

"NANI!?" Kero shouted, "So now you're..."

Sakura waved her hands in front of her nervously. "Whoa Kero-chan, calm down. It didn't work."

Kero raised a tiny eyebrow. "What do you mean 'it didn't work'?" he questioned.

"Just like I said, I don't feel any different at all."

Kero flew into the air, crossing his arms. "Then this can only mean one thing!" he announced.

Sakura and Syaoran blinked at him. "And that would be...?" they asked simultaneously, leaving the question hanging open.

"Sakura, it can only mean that you're already in love w-"

Sakura quickly wrapped both her hands around the tiny creature's mouth, to prevent it from spilling her secret. "Jeez Kero-chan, what are you talking about?" Sakura laughed nervously then lowered her tone so only Kero could hear, "Not one more word about that or you can kiss dessert tonight goodbye." Kero made a little noise that sounded like a gasp and nodded his head. Then Sakura let him go, gasping for breath.

"Hello over there!" Syaoran said, waving his hand in an annoyed fashion, "I'm still here. Could you please repeat that?"

Kero opened his little mouth to speak, but quickly shut it as he caught a death glare from Sakura.

"Nevermind, Syaoran-kun! It wasn't important." Sakura assured, trying to fake another laugh.

Syaoran didn't seem to buy it. He frowned, crossing his arms over his chest in disbelief. "You could at least tell me what he said." 

Sakura gave Kero a conk on the head. "He doesn't know what he's talking about, too many years cooped up in that Clow Book must have made him go crazy!"

Syaoran rolled his eyes, giving up. "Whatever."

*****************************************

"So you still won't tell me what that stuffed animal told you?"

Sakura offered him a small smile. "Please understand, Syaoran-kun, I can't." she pleaded, "For now at least, I can't tell you." 'But hopefully I'll have the courage to someday…' she thought.

Kero suddenly flew out from Sakura's slightly-open backpack, facing the two young Card Captors. "I sense a black Clow Card..." he reported, tiny eyes darting back and forth.

Sakura stopped in her tracks, as did Syaoran. "Where? Which one?"

"It's nearby." Kero answered, "But I can't tell which one it is."

Syaoran went on the defensive, releasing his sword while standing protectively in front of Sakura. "Whatever it is, it's going to have to get through me first." he stated firmly.

As if in answer to his challenge, a blue flash of light rammed into Syaoran, knocking him down face-first on the sidewalk, then disappearing without a trace.

Sakura was to his side in an instant. "Syaoran-kun! Are you alright?" she asked, kneeling down beside his fallen form. He groaned in reply, then...laughed.

'He's laughing?' Sakura thought, trying to get a look at his face, which still seemed to be lying on the pavement.

He suddenly turned around without warning, a maniacal grin spread across his face, still chuckling silently. Sakura fell back on her bottom in surprise. "Syaoran-kun...?" she whispered, feeling a sudden chill. 

Syaoran stood up quickly, reaching for his dormant sword.

"Sakura! Don't let him get a hold of his sword!" Kero shouted desperately. 

Sakura went to kick the sword with her left foot, but he picked it up before she had the chance. He loomed over her, no longer laughing, but still grinning. He raised his sword, ready to attack, and Sakura just sat there wide-eyed and frozen, like a deer caught in the headlights.

"SAKURA! MOVE NOW!!" Kero shouted.

Sakura blinked just as realization hit her and rolled out of the way just as the sword came down with a *clank* where she had just been. She barely had time to blink before he came charging at her, taking another swing. Thankfully he missed. Sakura slowly got to her feet and quickly leapt to her right side, dodging another rough swing.

"Kero-chan! What's wrong with Syaoran?!" Sakura cried out, trying to run away from him.

"I think the Chinese gaki is temporarily insane!" Kero replied.

"What do we do!?"

Kero looked to be trying to pull some of the hair out of his head. "I-I don't know! I don't remember this card!" Kero answered, "For now, RUN!"

Sakura stopped her feeble attempts at dodging and changed tactic, darting for the park. She looked behind her as she ran, only to find the crazy Syaoran still on her trail.

"Kero-chan! Why is he following me?!" Sakura pouted.

"Probably because you're the first thing he saw after the card took control of him." the miniature guardian beast replied, "So you're kind of the target."

"Hoe?!"

"There's no need to be worried, Sakura. You just-"

"I'm worried about Syaoran!" Sakura interrupted.

"The Chinese gaki is chasing you around with a sword and you're worried about HIM?!"

"HAI! Kami-sama knows what that card did to him..." she spoke sadly.

Kero patted his mistress's shoulder. "No need to worry, Sakura. The gaki is going to be just fine." 

He stopped and glanced behind them. "He just needs your help to seal the card." Kero said comfortingly.

'That's right...I've got to help Syaoran.' Sakura thought.

"Kero-chan, listen up!" she yelled, "Go back home and get the cards!"

"Which ones?" Kero asked.

"The new ones, the white ones. As soon as you have them, bring them to the park." Sakura instructed.

Kero nodded and flew off down the street.

Sakura halted midrun and turned to face the card-affected Syaoran. "Okay Syaoran, be a good boy and follow me." she said, trying to lead him into the park. It seemed to be working. The seemingly-possessed boy was following right along behind Sakura, closer and closer to the park entrance. He was gripping his sword tensely and grinning, ready to charge at a moment's notice. 

Without warning, Sakura turned and dashed into the park, making a sharp right as she entered. Staying completely silent against the entrance wall, she only had to wait a few seconds before Syaoran's figure came running in after her. She took this opportunity to get lunge at clueless crazy guy, in an attempt get the sword away from him. 

But the plan backfired. Syaoran caught sight of her before she could reach the sword and took a swing at her before she could manage to stop her momentum or block the oncoming blow. She let a tiny cry out as the sword sliced open the side of her right arm. Cradling the newly injured arm, she ran further into the park in some hopes of losing him. 'I just need another chance to get his weapon away.' she thought, wincing a little from the pain in her arm. 

She could hear Syaoran somewhere behind, slashing at metal, wood, whatever got in his way. 'How do you capture a card like this?' she thought, making her way over to the swing sets, 'Does Syaoran have to prove something to it on his own?'

She approached the abandoned swings, Syaoran following closely after her. They played a little game of cat and mouse, running around the swings. That ended quickly after Syaoran chopped through the swingset bars, causing the whole thing to tumble down. Sakura didn't have many places left to go. She saw King Penguin in the distance, and decided to take her chances with climbing it. It would be a lot easier to fend off Syaoran from on top the penguin's head. Making a quick left, she sprinted toward the large blue and white penguin.

'Dammit Kero-chan...Where are you?' she thought, pausing for a moment to pick a long stick up off the ground.

Before the wild Syaoran could completely catch up with her, she began climbing up the penguin one-handed. 'Now if I can just make it to the top...'

*CLANG* *Clik Clak Clik Clak* 

'Damn...' she cursed mentally.

She looked down, despite her best efforts not to, to see Syaoran following her up the ladder. She took a deep breath and quickened her pace. She faulted slightly in pain, as the tip of his sword caught her ankle, but pushed her way to the top successfully. Then with newfound confidence, she turned to her attacker, rotting wooden stick facing toward the approaching warrior. He came to the top step of the slide and blinked at the stick she was holding out threateningly in front of her. 

Then he started laughing at the useless weapon she held in her defense. Sakura shook slightly, but held her ground. "D-don't make me use this, Syaoran." she warned.

He laughed some more and sliced the stick into about ten pieces, leaving Sakura holding about two inches of wood in her trembling hands. 

Just as he was about to bring the sword down on her, a familiar yellow creature came flying to the rescue, just in the knick of time. He managed to drop the cards into the top of the penguin where Sakura was standing and then faulted the incoming blow of the sword, by getting smacked by the hilt. Syaoran teetered from the block and fell back onto the ground with a thud. 

Sakura peered over the edge to make sure he was alright. He apparently was, because he was on his feet again. She quickly checked on Kero, but he seemed to be unconscious. 

Turning back to her protector-turned-attacker, she quickly pulled out the star key. As he was trying to make his way back up the slide again, she called forth her wand and quickly searched through the cards for an idea. 

'That's it!' she thought, standing to full height. 

"REFLEX CARD!" she called, slamming her wand into the image of the fox, "RELEASE!"

The gleaming white animal appeared and waited for further instructions. Sakura pointed to angry Syaoran with her index finger. "Humble him by the clap of my hands." she said. 

The card bowed its head and magically enveloped Syaoran in white light. Then Sakura clapped, and Syaoran went flying off the slide and onto the ground, landing on his butt. Sakura laughed at the look of utter surprise etched onto his face. 'Now all I have to do is keep this up until Syaoran can seal the Card.' she thought with relief.

Sakura gathered her cards and carefully made her way down the slide, coming to a stop near the no-longer-grinning Syaoran. He got up quickly and charged at her again, but she simply clapped her hands and he fell back down again.

It continued on like that for awhile. Syaoran would charge at her and she would clap her hands, making him fall back down. It wasn't until after a few minutes of this that Sakura realized something.

With every clap, the Reflex Card was taking a substantial amount of her magical energy. And she was starting to feel tired.

She stood defiantly, clapping her hands again, refusing to give in to the increasing fatigue. If she wanted to help Syaoran, she had to keep this up. But it didn't seem to be helping much. It was almost as if he became even more determined after every fall. Like he knew that she was becoming weaker from the use of the card. 

With another clap, she fell to her knees, unable to support the injured ankle any longer. No...She couldn't give up now; she had to keep going. No matter how much her body was screaming, she couldn't let Syaoran down. She had to buy him the time to prove himself to the card. 'Would Syaoran ever give up?' she thought. She felt a small smile cross her face. No, Syaoran would never give up, ever. He would go to the bitter end if he had to. He was strong. Sakura lifted her head up in newfound courage. 

She had to be strong too. 

Ever so slowly, Sakura lifted herself up to her feet again, refusing to back down. 'C'mon Syaoran...I know you're in there somewhere. Fight this! I'll do whatever is in my power to help.'

Being careful of her ankle, she started backing up. The more time she could stall him, the better. The crazed Syaoran growled in frustration and lifted his body of the grass of the park, coming full force at the Card Mistress again. Sakura inhaled deeply and clapped her hands as hard as she could. 

To her amazement, not only did Syaoran fall down a little harder, but he went flying back about twenty yards. 'That ought to hold him for a little while.' she thought, limping toward a tree in the distance. 

She winced from the horrible pain in her arm. It was searing, like it was burning in an internal fire. Approaching the tree, she heard a groan in the distance. Apparently the fall didn't affect Syaoran too much. She was thankful for that, if he had been hurt, it would have been her fault. She couldn't live with that kind of guilt. 

When she reached the tree, she turned around to face him. No worries, if he got too close, she would clap again. He approached a little more slowly this time, a little more cautious of Sakura's power. She raised her hands in warning and he took an unsure step back. 

"That's right you crazy card! Just stay back." she voiced, "If you stay where you are, I won't clap."

The card controlling Syaoran's body paid no attention to her and started walking forward again. Sakura frowned. 'It's not going to back down.' she realized.

As the he came closer, he broke into a trot. Then a run. Sakura took a deep breath and held it. Ignoring the pain that shot through her right arm, she mustered up all the strength she possibly could.

Syaoran came to an abrupt stop, bracing himself for the incoming fall.

*CLAP*

..........Silence.

Sakura blinked in abrupt realization. 

It didn't work. 

The imposter in Syaoran blinked a few times too, staring at her in confusion. Then it grinned, coming forward with its sword poised above its head. Sakura inhaled sharply. 

"Wha...What?"

She clapped again.

Still nothing.

Again and again and again and....nothing. The insane Syaoran began to chuckle as he got closer and closer. 'I'm out of magic!' she realized, falling to the ground, 'Now what can I do?'

She looked up to see Syaoran's body hanging over her, prepared to deliver the final blow. She gazed into his fiery amber eyes, trying desperately to reach her secret beloved within them. But she couldn't reach him. His eyes were reflecting with a strange blue light, hiding the true amber color too deep for her to get to. If this was it, she was ready to face it. She just wished she could have done more to help him.

'I'm sorry, Syaoran...I tried.'

As the sword began its heavy descend, she shut her eyes tightly, awaiting her impending death......waiting for the cold steel to pierce her skin.

But it never came.

She opened one eye in question and gasped. Syaoran seemed frozen in place, not even moving an inch. And the blade of the sword was just centimeters from reaching her head. She stayed where she was, risking a shaky gaze up at him. His eyes were opened widely, looking down on her in surprise.

"Syao.......ran?" she asked weakly, struggling to get the name out.

He blinked at her and then gasped, throwing his weapon aside. "Sakura!?"

She smiled up at him shakily. "Syaoran....you're alright?" 

Without wasting a precious second, she gathered what was left of her energy and hugged him around the legs. "I'm...glad...I was...so worried..." she breathed.

Syaoran bent down to return the hug, but she had passed out. That's when he saw her profusely-bleeding arm. 

He panicked. "Oh KAMI-SAMA...Wh-What happened!?!?" 

Realizing how quickly she was losing blood, he gently placed her on the ground and removed his uniform shirt. He did his best to tie it as a bandage for her arm, applying pressure to halt the bleeding. He paused for a moment and got to his feet, going to retrieve his sword. About three feet from it, he stopped.

It had blood smeared on it.

His mind was racing. No....no....NO! He had hurt his angel, his goddess, his beloved! He had taken too long in proving his strength to the still-nameless card. And now the lovely green-eyed angel had suffered for it.

"Why?...Why!?" he yelled.

He stopped yelling abruptly, noticing something that was lodged underneath the hilt of the sword. It was a Clow Card. He squinted in the dimming light of the park to get a better look. 

The Possession.

He barely resisted the urge to tear it in half. 'Baka Card!' he cursed mentally, jamming it into his pocket.

'How low can a card go?' he thought, changing his sword back into a pendant, 'Using me to attack Sakura...'

Placing the pendant over his head, he ran back to Sakura's side, gently picking her limp form into his arms, being extra careful not to upset her.

He couldn't bring her home like this. Fujitaka and Tomoyo would ask too many questions, and Toya...he didn't even want to know what Toya would do to him. 'Not like I don't deserve it.' he thought shamefully, brushing back a few locks of her honey auburn hair. 

He looked down at her pale face, trailing his fingers down the side of her cheek. 'I'll make it up to you, my cherry blossom.' he vowed silently, 'I'll wait on you hand and foot until you're a hundred percent better, and I'll never leave you un-protected again.'

He lifted her up a little farther and tilted his head down to hers, kissing her lips softly. "I promise." he whispered gently into her ear.

*****************************************

The scent that woke Sakura attacked her senses in bliss. It was all around her, that sweet, tangible smell that she could never get enough of.

Cinnamon.

It was Syaoran's scent. Sweet and strong at the same time. She could smell it in the blanket she was clutching to, the pillow, the whole area that surrounded her was filled with it.

'Wait a minute...blanket?...pillow?'

She opened her eyes into the light of the room, squinting against the brightness of the sun. 'Where am I?'

Wrapped in a green blanket, the smell of cinnamon and the faint smell of honey hovering in the air...this definitely wasn't her room. But she felt strangely secure here, just sitting up in the cherry-wood bed. She suddenly felt a jolt of pain go through her arm and moaned softly. Looking down at her arm, she gasped. The entire thing had been bandaged. But who had taken care of her? Where were they now? Where was Syaoran? Was he okay?

The large oak door suddenly swung open, revealing a tray, closely followed by a handsome young man. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she looked again. Not just any handsome young man, he had messy brown hair, gorgeous sunset-amber eyes...

"Syaoran!" she gasped.

He walked into the room and sat on the bed next to her, placing a tray on her lap. "Are you feeling better?" he questioned, his tone voicing his concern.

She nodded, unable to get any words to come out of her mouth.

He gestured toward the tray. "I brought you breakfast." he said, "There's a nice warm mug of honey milk, pancakes, bacon, and some toast."

"Syaoran?"

"Hai?"

"Where am I?"

Syaoran felt his face flush involuntarily. "You're in my room."

Sakura blushed too, realizing where she had been sleeping and why she could smell cinnamon. "A-arigato." she voiced softly, "For making breakfast, taking care of me, and letting me stay here."

"That's the very least I could do." Syaoran replied with regret, turning his head away, "After what I've done."

Sakura placed a kind hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't your fault, it was the card that did it." she assured, "Forget about it."

He gave her a tiny smile in reply, and she smiled back whole-heartedly.

"Did you seal the card then?" Sakura asked.

"Hai." he answered, pointing to the nightstand, "It's over there."

Being careful not to spill the tray, she reached over to the little table and took the card. "The Possession." she read outloud.

She placed the card back on the nightstand and turned back to Syaoran and smiled. "I'm glad you weren't hurt."

"It would have been better me than you." he muttered to himself.

"How did you seal it?" Sakura asked curiously.

Syaoran's face started to burn an unhealthy red color. "Ano, I...It's hard to ex-explain." he stuttered, then decided to change the topic, "You should eat before the food gets cold."

She nodded and picked up the mug of honey milk, faltering slightly as pain shot through her injured arm. Syaoran's blush quickly died away and he held a hand out toward her.

"Need some help?" Syaoran asked, placing one hand on the bottom of the cup to steady it for her.

"I-Iie. I think I've got it."

Syaoran's hands insisted on helping guide the cup anyway. He didn't let go until she put it back down. He made a move to help her eat the rest of the food, but she pushed his hand away. "Syaoran, I'm not a baby."

He smirked. "You were once."

She playfully smacked his arm with her good hand. "Don't even start." 

She sighed and stretched out her arms a little. "You should go get yourself some breakfast, I'll be fine on my own."

He seemed to silently agree and took his weight off the bed, heading for the door. "I'll be back to check on you in a little while." he said, walking into the hall, while leaving the door slightly ajar.

Sakura looked down at the tray of assorted breakfast foods and took the fork in her left hand. She tried spearing a piece of her pancake, but she kept dropping the fork. 'The one time I wish I was a lefty.' she thought with a groan. She tried using her right hand, but it hurt way too much. 

"I knew you would have trouble."

She abruptly dropped the fork again and turned to the doorway. 

There stood Syaoran leaning against the frame, a smug smile on his face. She felt her face go red in embarrassment, realizing what a klutz he must think she was. "How long have you been there?" she questioned.

He shrugged and walked back to the bedside. "Long enough to see that you need help." he stated.

She was about to protest, but he quickly took the fork and from its position and brought the food up to her mouth. "Open the hatch so the plane can go in." he teased in a baby voice.

Sakura mocked an angry face. "Mou, Syaoran!"

He chuckled. "I was just kidding. I'm only trying to help."

"I know." she admitted, biting off the piece of waiting pancake.

Syaoran was anxiously awaiting her reaction as she chewed.

"Yummy!" she exclaimed, "Sugoi, Syaoran! You're a great cook!"

He blushed slightly at the comment adding to the intensity of her smile, and helped her eat the rest of her meal.

When they were done, Syaoran stood up, slowly followed by a shaky Sakura. "Whoa there!" he warned, making sure she didn't fall, "Where do you think you're going? You've got to watch that ankle of yours."

"I'm okay." Sakura said, standing up on her own, "It's never going to heal right if I never walk on it."

"Then at least let me help you." Syaoran reasoned, putting an arm around her shoulder. 

Sakura was about to thank him, but she felt something in her right arm. 'Pain?' she wondered. No, it wasn't pain. 

"Sakura, do you feel that?" 

"I feel something in my arm…"

"Me too." Syaoran agreed, looking around his room suspiciously.

Before they could question each other any further, they were engulfed in a bright purple light.

"What's-What's going on?!" Sakura yelled.

The light disappeared as quickly as it came, leaving Sakura and Syaoran staring at each other in confusion.

"Oh my Kami-sama, what happened to us!?"

"We're...WE'RE...AGGHHHHHH!!!"

~To Be Continued…

That's all for chapter 6, you'll have to stay tuned for chapter 7 to see what happens next. Don't worry, everything will be clear next chapter ^^ I'll give you a clue. It's not anything like the Change Card if that's what you were thinking. Please don't flame me about Syaoran, it was the CARD that was doing that, not him. Anyways, thank you for your time ^_^ If you could spare the time to review, I would be very grateful. Gomen if my stories take a while to get out on Fanfiction.net, but I write pretty long. Have a great day, Minna-san! ^^ ~Manda-chan

Japanese terms: gomen-sorry nani-what arigato-thank you sugoi-wonderful/amazing Mou-an expression of annoyance Kami-sama-god baka-stupid/idiot iie-no hai-yes hoe-Sakura's favorite expression/word gaki-brat ano-um/uh


	7. The Forbidden Clow: Getting Too Attached

Konnichiwa Minna-san! ^.^Here's chapter 7 for you (I was hoping to get it out sooner than this, but I had a writers block, gomen nasai!)As a reply to vaydra97, Sakura and Syaoran are about 16 in this fic.I'd also like to give a HUGE arigato to:cherry blossoms little wolf2,ashley-chan,vaydra97,Woobaby,Syaoran-kun,Evil Karyta,~*~kokimiyoi~*~,CherryBlossom Angel,E.B.(Su Pei),angelwings2001,Alicia, and ram mahir, for reviewing chapter 6 (that's the most reviews I've gotten for one chapter so far!^^)!

Dedication: Chapter 7 is specially dedicated to the twelve people above, who reviewed my last chapter!You guys ROCK!^^ARIGATO!

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS. If you want to try and sue me, all you're going to get is my little brother (trust me, you DON'T want him).

Without further adieu...on with the story! ^^

**The Forbidden Clow Chapter 7: Getting Too Attached**

"We're...WE'RE STUCK!!!"

Syaoran and Sakura stood side by side near the door to the bedroom, shoulder-to-shoulder, arm-to-arm.Their eyes were wide with shock, desperately searching for some form of comprehension from the other party.

Sakura suddenly pulled away with all her weight, hoping that the attachment may at least loosen if she pulled hard enough.

No use.The more she pulled, the more her injured arm would scream out in pain, and the stronger the bond seemed to become.Whatever bonded them so closely was magical in nature, which was apparent from the earlier display of purple light.But neither of them had any clue what to do about it.

Sakura sighed heavily in new frustration and fell to the floor, momentarily forgetting that she was now jointed with her young warrior friend, who toppled onto her lap in an unorderly heap.

Finding his cheek against her smooth, bare leg, Syaoran's face heated up to a dark red of unimaginable intensity.He quickly used his free arm to pull himself off of her, while his strength in turn startled the Card mistress to the extent that she fell onto him.Sakura gasped, suddenly realizing that her head was slowly sliding down against the cottony fabric of his shirt.Mirroring his shade of embarrassment, she heaved herself off of him, being careful not accidentally pull him with her as he had just done.

Now that both were calm, each was also silent.Slight shades of red still flushed their embarrassed faces, causing them each to look opposite ways. 

Realizing that this wasn't going to help anything, Sakura coughed once and spoke up."So...ano...what do we do now?" she inquired quietly, still not being able to meet his eyes.

Syaoran silently wished he had at least some sort of idea, but he came up with nothing, just a large blank that sat empty in his mind."I-I don't know." he admitted, searching his head for a breakthrough, "I don't think I've ever come across a problem quite like this before."

"Maybe it's the 'superglue' card?" Sakura suggested dully.

"Only if Clow Reed has a weird sense of humor." Syaoran replied almost mechanically, still deep in his thoughts.

Lightening the tense mood, Sakura chuckled."I guess it isn't really something that happens in everyday life." she added, daring a glance at his handsome face.

She tilted her head in growing fascination of his silent contemplation, slowly taking in every aspect of his well-structured profile.She stopped when she met the cloudiness in his honey-amber eyes, seeming to block out the world around him as he engaged in deep thought.Sakura felt content just to watch him like this.The seriousness of his face at this moment was very attractive to her.'Baka!' her mind chided, 'He's always attractive no matter what he does.'

Sakura smiled whimsically at the thought, still unable to tear her gaze away from him.

He broke out of thought unnoticeably, sighing at his loss of solutions, and turned toward her in hopes of her having come up with something.His eyes opened a little wider as his eyes met hers.She was looking at him almost as if...'No...' he thought sourly, 'Why would she be looking at me like that?She said we were just friends.'

"Sakura?" 

She blinked first, and then looked at him in growing realization before she turned away, glowing the color of a ripened strawberry.Syaoran didn't miss this and it surprised him somewhat.

'Caught red-handed...' Sakura thought, timidly playing with the hem of her dress, 'Or rather, red-faced...'

"I've been thinking..." Syaoran started, trying to ease the awkward tension with conversation.

Sakura quickly turned to him with a pleading grin."You've figured it out?"

He shook his head slowly, faltering at his next words from the look of disappointment that immediately crossed her face."Iie, I haven't.But I'm pretty sure it's a black Clow Card." 

"Oh." was all she replied, looking at the carpeted floor.

Syaoran's expression softened and he placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him.He smiled."We'll figure it out, Sakura." he assured, gently rubbing her shoulder in an attempt to relax her, "We always do."

She lifted her head to meet his eyes."Hai." she agreed with a smile of her own.She stopped for a moment, before the smile turned into a frown."Demo..."

"Nani?" Syaoran asked, giving her shoulder a light squeeze.

"It's my turn to make dinner at home tonight." she answered sheepishly, "Otousan and Ni-chan will be expecting me home around four o'clock."

Syaoran couldn't help as a slight panic took over his voice."Can you cancel?Is there another way?Maybe take over for Toya another night?"

"I don't know." Sakura replied sadly in response to his pleading, "I suppose I can try."

Syaoran nodded his head in understanding and lead Sakura up off the floor by her free hand, being sure to not cause another spontaneous fall."Then we'll go downstairs and you can give him a call."

She nodded as they headed for the stairwell, slowly beginning the descend.The new sensation of being so close was causing a strange awkwardness between the two.It was hard to keep your eyes focused on the stairs while you were practically glued to your crush, fingers brushing against fingers as a regular occurrence.

"This is going to take some getting used to." Sakura voiced, carefully stepping down another stair with her bad ankle and receiving support from Syaoran.

"A lot." he agreed, as they finally reached the bottom.

They walked/hobbled to a finely crafted wooden table, where a forest green colored phone lay in the wait.Sakura picked up the phone with the hand that hung from the linked wrists and leaned it against their joint shoulders, keeping it steady with her head.Then she took her other hand and slowly pressed the buttons on stationary piece still on the table (it's not like the phones with the numbers on the receiver).

'It would be a great help if I were ambidextrous.' she thought dully, continuing to push the buttons one by one, 'Then this wouldn't be so challenging.'

As she was listening for someone to pick up on the other line, she felt Syaoran's fingers start to mess with hers playfully.Tugging, rubbing, caressing, squeezing...kami, he was making it hard for her to concentrate on the phone call!She gave him a pleading look, but he simply smiled innocently in response.

'Big help you're being.' she thought mentally, half-frowning, half-smiling at her dark-haired companion.

"Moshi Moshi, this is Kinomoto Toya."

Sakura snapped out of her previous thoughts and brought her attention to the receiver.

"Ni-chan?"

"OI! KAIJUU!" Toya roared.

Sakura took the receiver from her ear as the angry voice soared through the telephone connection."Nani?" she asked, slowly bringing her ear back to the phone, just in case he erupted again.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING AT THE GAKI'S HOUSE?!" he screamed, causing Sakura's green eyes to bulge.

"N-Nani?"

"This new caller ID works like a charm." Toya replied.

"We were studying." Sakura replied matter-of-factly.

"Whatever, Kaijuu.Just get home.It's your turn to make dinner."

"Can't I do it some other night, Ni-chan?Please?"

"Iie."

"Doushite?"

"I'm not putting your chores on hold so you can spend quality time with the gaki." 

Sakura reddened slightly at his comment, but didn't deny it. "O-okay.Demo...can I bring Syaoran-kun with me?"

"NANI!?!"

"You heard me, Ni-chan." she replied calmly.

"....Just this once, BUT-"

"Arigato, Ni-chan!" Sakura interrupted, and quickly hung up the phone before her brother could finish.

After placing the receiver back with its counterpart, she turned to Syaoran with a remorseful expression."We're going to have to go through with it."

He nodded slowly and offered her a small smile."Daijoubu.We'll live."

"I hope you're right, Syaoran."She stopped and thought for a moment, before turning back to him."How are we going to pull this off?"

"I wish I knew." he answered regretfully, "We'll have to figure something out, hopefully something that can dupe your brother for the time being."

Feeling a little better about the situation, Sakura smiled up at him."I guess we'll figure out something on the way there then, ne?" she asked with a wink.

"H-Hai." he responded, flushing pink in the cheeks.

She took his hand (on the attached arm) and tugged him toward the door."C'mon Syaoran, Ni-chan won't be happy if we're late."

Syaoran gave her a lopsided grin in return."He won't be happy anyway."

Sakura placed her hands on her hips."Well, he'll just have to deal with it."

Syaoran reluctantly followed her out of the apartment."I have the feeling this is going to be a disaster..." he mumbled.

Sakura frowned, having heard him, and re-placed her hands on her hips."Mou, Syaoran!You're so pessimistic!"

He shrugged, accepting the comment.She sighed irritably and started walking in the direction of her house.

***************************************

"How about if we tell him that it's...another project for school?"

"We could try that, but I doubt he'll buy it for the third time.We've used that excuse for just about everything else."

Sakura and Syaoran were nearing the Kinomoto's house, heatedly discussing what to do about their "problem", that is, regarding Toya Kinomoto.So far, no definite answer or excuse was found, so they continued to mull over the possibilities.

"A superglue accident?"

Sakura thought about his suggestion for a moment."That might work." she agreed with a nod, "Maybe first we can tell Ni-chan that it's a project for school, and if he doesn't except that, we can use the superglue as a cover-up."

Syaoran couldn't help but smile."Y'know, I always thought you were kind of dense, Sakura.But you really have a good head on those shoulders."

He patted her head with his free hand to flaunt his comment.Sakura frowned at him."I don't know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment." 

"Hey!There's nothing wrong with being dense." Syaoran defended for her, "But it you weren't dense, I wouldn't recognize you.You just wouldn't be the same Sakura."

Sakura used her free hand to punch his arm none too lightly."First it sounds like you're defending me, and then you insult me again!"

He used his un-joined hand to rub the spot of impact on his arm."Whoa!You've got it all wrong!" 

She quickly jumped in front of him, facing him angrily."Do I?!"

Syaoran wasn't used to seeing this side of Sakura, it put him at a loss of words.

Sakura's frown deepened to a scowl."I may be dense, Li Syaoran, but I could easily kick your ass."

A playful grin touched Syaoran's lips at this."No you can't." he chided.

"HAI, you AND that large ego of yours to boot!" 

His grin grew just a teeny bit larger."I'll remember you said that."

"Please DO!" she spat, turning her head away from him in anger, "Let's just see how much honor you have when you find your butt on the floor."

He chuckled, noting how cute she looked when she was angry.Sakura grunted."Men!"

"Oi, Sakura."

She reluctantly looked toward him, a small scowl still present."What?"

"We're here." he reported, pointing toward the quaint-looking yellow house, "We should go in now, if you're ready to.Are you still mad at me?"

No answer.

He sighed."I'm sorry for what I said earlier," he apologized, "I didn't mean it that way, okay?" 

Sakura started going up to the door, dragging Syaoran with her."Everything's fine." she spoke casually, "I guess I forgive you."She stopped for a second before smirking at him."But I'll still kick your ass later."

Syaoran smirked right back at her while entering the house."You wish."~

At first, the inside seemed vacant, virtually untouched.But they both new that Toya was lurking somewhere.Syaoran was amazed at how clean and orderly everything was.Sure he had been there many times before, but he didn't really bother to notice details until now.

While Syaoran was busy marveling at the cleanliness of the room, Sakura decided to hail her brother."Ni-chan!Are you home?" she called, cupping her hands around her mouth for added voice range.

Toya's dark-haired head peered out from the kitchen, looking the two over before speaking."Kaijuu and gaki." he acknowledged simply, turning back to whatever he was doing.

Sakura rolled her eyes."Hello to you too, Ni-chan." she said dully.

"Kaijuu!" he called, "Get in here and get started.Have the gaki go sit down in the family room, he's not needed."

'Problem one.' they thought simultaneously, glancing at each other.

"Ano, I would feel better if Syaoran came with me." 

Toya peeked out from behind the post again, eying them both once again, getting the feeling that he was missing something."What do you need him for?" he asked suspiciously, "And why the hell are you two standing so close together?"

Toya's hard stare was making Sakura nervous and she was having trouble coming up with an excuse."Ano, ano..."

"We're, uh, going out!" Syaoran blurted suddenly.

After realizing what he had just said, he had to resist the urge to slap his free hand over his mouth.

Sakura's eyes were wide with shock, a completely dumbfounded expression painted across her features.'Did Syaoran just say what I think he did?'

Syaoran's face was slowly beginning to register shock as well, along with a deep, almost burgundy blush.'Did I just say what I thought I did?'

Toya's face was more of an angered shock than anything, his hands clenched tightly over the dishtowel he was holding, as if he might rip it in half."What did you say, gaki!?"

Syaoran swallowed the lump in his throat and stood tall.Now that he had said it, there was no use in backing out."You heard me, Kinomoto." he replied evenly.

He and Sakura both faked large smiles and entwined their fingers with one another.

Toya gave them another once over."Why do I get the feeling you're hiding something?" he asked, narrowing his dark brows.

Sakura shrugged and Toya grunted, going back to his business.As soon as he was out of sight, Syaoran and Sakura sighed audibly, almost slouching to the floor in relief.It seems they would live...for now.

"Nice going." Sakura reprimanded, "You couldn't have possibly come up with anything that would have pissed him off more than that."

"Gomen, it was the first thing that came to my mind!" Syaoran explained, "You seemed stuck for a reply, so I had to come up with something quickly to cover for you."

"Well," Sakura started, changing the subject, "Are you sure you can handle it?"

"Handle what?" he asked, unaware of what she meant.

Her smile turned smug."Pretending to go out with me." 

Syaoran mirrored her smile almost perfectly."You'd better be prepared." he stated in a whisper, "I'll lay it on so thick that Toya will never doubt it for a moment."

"Well, let's go then, SWEETHEART." Sakura said, batting her eyelashes fakely.

"Lead the way, HONEY." he replied.

As they entered the kitchen, Toya looked up from washing the dishes to give them both another glare.Both Sakura and Syaoran ignored him.

"What am I supposed to be making for dinner, Ni-chan?" Sakura asked, rummaging through a few cubbords.

"Can you handle making 'Chicken Curry', kaijuu?" he quipped.

"Hai." she answered, grabbing a box of curry out of the cubbord, "Syaoran SWEETUMS, could you please help me get the fresh vegetables out of the fridge?"

Sakura winced at how lame that sounded, then shrugged, remembering that they were supposed to be lame, since they were just pretending.

"Sure thing." he replied, nuzzling the crook of her neck affectionately.

Sakura felt goosebumps erupt over her skin from his close proximity.'Kami...' she thought, 'this is going to be harder than I thought...'

Syaoran was definitely enjoying this.'An excuse to be up close and personal with Sakura?How could I possibly pass up a chance like this?' he thought, doing nothing to stop the grin that was forming on his lips.

"Vegetables, gotta get the vegetables..." Sakura repeated over and over again, trying to make her way to the fridge, while trying desperately to ignore Syaoran's antics at the same time.

After all the vegetables were cleaned, Sakura handed Syaoran a knife and some carrots."Can you cut those, please?" she asked, stopping her lame attempts with pet names.

"Anything for you, my sweet blossom." he said in a charming voice, beginning to chop away at the orange vegetables.

Sakura blinked.'Blossom?' she thought, a pleasant chill going up her spine, 'That doesn't sound so lame...is Syaoran taking this seriously?'She glanced up at him in question, only to find him gazing back at her lovingly.She couldn't help but smile. 'Now if only this wasn't pretend...' she thought sadly.

"Is something wrong?" he asked in a near whisper, brushing a few strands of her auburn hair from her face.

She shook her head, lowering it slightly so he couldn't see her newly flushed pink cheeks.She turned to her left and began dumping hers and Syaoran's cut-up veggies into a waiting pot."I-Iie...not really." she stammered.

"That's good." he said huskily in a deep voice, tracing her face with his free hand, "Beautiful cherry blossoms should never be upset."

*CRAAAAAAASSSSSSHHHHHH*

The young teen Cardcaptors nearly jumped three feet into the air at the sudden shattering of glass.They turned around to see Toya bent over the glimmering mess, his fist shaking at his side."Just slipped my grip." he mumbled.

Sakura and Syaoran sweat-dropped, knowing full well what caused him to drop the fragile ceramic dish.

'Is that laying it on thick enough, Syaoran?' Sakura thought, giving him a reprimanding look, 'You've got Ni-chan on his last nerve already.'

****************************************

Toya glared at the food before him, sniffing it as if it might give off toxic fumes."The kaijuu and gaki made this...will I live through the first bite?"

"The choice is yours, Ni-chan." Sakura shrugged, taking another forkful of her steaming curry, "I think it tastes pretty good."

Syaoran chewed thoughtfully and swallowed, turning his head to face Sakura."Of course it tastes good!" he readily agreed, placing a hand beneath her chin to face her toward him, "It was made by an emerald-eyed angel."

Toya slammed the silverware down that he was currently holding, alarming the connected duo."THAT'S IT!I can't put up with any more of this, gaki!" he bellowed, forcefully rising from his chair, "Get the hell away from my little sister!"

The teen Card mistress and Chinese warrior exchanged panicked glances, but stayed seated.The other young man tromped over to them, putting a hand on each shoulder.

"That's enough of this 'going out'!" he seethed, "If you won't move apart yourselves, I'll force you apart!"

Sakura gasped and let out a wail as he tried pulling them away from each other.Syaoran gritted his teeth and held Sakura's hand with his, to comfort her with what little he could."STOP IT NI-CHAAAAANNN!!THAT HURTS!"

And he did stop, dumb shock apparent on his features."Y-You won't come apart!" he realized, "WHAT IN THE HELL!?!?"

Taking advantage of his confusion, the jointed-couple withdrew themselves from their seats and headed for the door."See ya later, Ni-chan!" Sakura called, heading out the door, "Don't forget to leave some chicken curry for otousan when he gets home!"

As the door shut, Toya Kinomoto was left staring wide-eyed at the two now-empty chairs."How the-what the...were they?But that's not possible..." he mumbled.He slapped a hand against his forehead and sauntered into the living room."I must be going crazy..."

**************************************

Sakura and Syaoran laughed and high-fived each other.

"We pulled it off!" Sakura exclaimed, "Did you see the look on Ni-chan's face?!"

Syaoran tried his best to imitate Toya's expression, causing Sakura to burst into a fit of giggles.

"He's probably tearing his hair out right now." Syaoran chuckled.

"Yeah," Sakura agreed, then frowned, "I guess I'm not staying at home tonight."

"Is there a problem with my place?" Syaoran asked, giving her hand a light squeeze.

"Iie...I just feel like I'm intruding on your privacy." she explained.

"Nah, it's nice to have company.It can get kind of lonely being by yourself all the time.Having you around adds a little bit of sunshine."

Sakura tilted her head, smiling up at him."Syaoran, that's so sweet."

"I can be sweet when I want to be."

Sakura gestured toward the wooden door."Well, why don't you be sweet and open the door so we can go in." 

"I suppose I can do that." he replied, placing the key in and opening the door, "After you, 'lil blossom."

Sakura put her hands on her hips."Little?" she pouted.

"Compared to me, anyway." he said, following her inside.

"Oh yeah?" She smirked coyly, "Well this 'lil blossom is going to teach the 'little wolf' a lesson." 

"Won't that be a little tough, with us being connected and all?"

"Feh." she quipped, tossing her short hair over a shoulder with a flick of her head, "You're just afraid to lose."

He mimicked her smug expression."Like I would lose to you?"'This ought to be fun.'

"Be ready to lose, wolf boy."

"You first, LITTLE blossom."

That did it.Just the way he emphasized 'little' broke Sakura's last string, like he knew it would.She grabbed a handful of his shirt and tried to force him down, without much luck.He just stood there, struggling not to laugh at her futile attempts.So far, the worst he would get out of this scuffle was a stretched green tee-shirt.

She pried on; mustering up all the strength she could to at least MOVE him a little.But it seemed hopeless."You're making fun of me!" Sakura pouted, seeing the laughter in his amber eyes, "You're not even fighting back!"

He raised an eyebrow at her, smiling."Are you sure you want me to?"

"Of course!"

He shrugged."Have it your way."

In the blink of an eye, Sakura found herself pinned to the plush beige carpeting, Syaoran smirking down at her amusedly.He leaned his face down to just a few inches from hers."You wanted me to fight back, didn't you?"

Sakura struggled to break free, but he had a good grip."You must have cheated!" she accused, receiving a laugh from him. 

"No, you just don't want to admit that you're losing." he corrected.

"Wait a minute...no rules, right?" she asked slyly.

"Iie, I guess not." he decided.

She gave him an apologetic look."You asked for it."

*SLAM*

Without giving it much thought, Sakura rammed her knee between his legs, causing him to keel over with a low, painful growl.Now that she was free (well, sort of free, she's attached to him by the shoulder, so she would be almost down too), she got to her knees, using her free arm to push him down the rest of the way.

"Now THAT was foul play." Syaoran choked out, slowly rising back off the carpet.

"It doesn't matter." Sakura stated matter-of-factly, "I won."

Syaoran levitated himself up the rest of the way and faced her with mischief present in his amber eyes."Who said this was over?You just got a lucky break."

"There's not much we can do with one arm each anyway." Sakura reasoned.

Syaoran smiled devilishly."You can still tickle someone with one hand."

Sakura froze."Syaoran, DON'T!" she pleaded, "You win!Just don't tickle me!"

Syaoran shrugged."There aren't any rules."

Before she could coax him out of it, he shot forward with his right hand, tickling her all around.

"Hahahahahahahaha-c'mon stop-hahahahahaHAHAHAHA-Kami, that ticlkes!!!-hahahaHAHAHAHAHA-okay already-HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA-enough with the-HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH-not there-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH-KAMI-SAMA STOP ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!"

He finally halted his assault, leaving her still giggling slightly and breathing in short gasps.

"Now all you have to do is admit that I won."

"NO WAY!"

Syaoran dangled his fingers in a teasing sort of way, warning her that he would start tickling again.

"Okay, okay. I give.You win." she admitted grudgingly.

"Now that that's over with, what do you say we pick our butts up off the floor and go sit on the couch?"

She sighed, accepting his helping hand up."Sounds like a plan."

"Any movie requests?" he asked, digging through his video collection.

Sakura shuddered as he picked up a horror film."Anything but a scary movie."

"Aww...and I wanted to see "House on Haunted Hill" too..."

"What's down here?" Sakura questioned curiously, pulling him downwards with her arm.

She pointed to the large, polished oak doors on the cabinet, noting how his eyes seemed to get a little wider.

"There's nothing special in there," he insisted, quickly rising back up and taking Sakura with him, "Just some old home movies and junk."

Sakura clapped her hands together in a Tomoyo-like way."Home movies?!"she exclaimed, kneeling quickly to open the cabinet (and taking Syaoran down in surprise), "This I've got to see!"

Before Syaoran could do a single little thing to prevent the inevitable, she swung the two doors open, and tapes flowed out onto the floor like a river.Sakura gasped in shock at the sea of tapes, recognizing the labels immediately.

"Syaoran, where did you get all of these?!"

Syaoran scratched his head nervously, a large sweat-drop forming on the side."Daidouji-san gave them to me." he blurted.

Sakura turned to look at him with a shocked expression, quickly changing to a wide, cheerful smile."I never knew you liked watching our cardcaptures!" she spoke, amazed, "I mean, look at how old they are!This one is..." 

Sakura examined the tape closely before looking back up at his slightly pink face with a perplexed expression."I can't believe she gave you this!"

Syaoran dared a glance at the tape cover, and almost gasped himself, turning the color of an overripe red cherry.The cassette was labeled,"Sakura-chan's Most Kawaii Moments".

'Actually, I practically begged Daidouji-san for that one...' he thought shamefully.

"Gomen, she must not have noticed which tapes she was giving me." he covered, hoping that she would buy it.

Which, of course, she did."Oh, I understand.I guess that's why you have all the tapes of my first cardcaptures too."

He nodded quickly in agreement, his blush finally subsiding.

Sakura studied more tape labels, eyeing each carefully."Did you actually watch these?"she asked,gesturing toward the mess of tapes before them.

"H-Hai." he choked softly.

Sakura picked a random tape out of the pile and stood up, pulling Syaoran up as well."Why don't we watch one, Syaoran? We have all night."

"S-Sure." he agreed with a small nod, taking the tape from her outstretched hand, then searching for its label,"Which one is this?"

She shrugged and he popped it in the VCR, having failed at finding any type of label on it.Syaoran then led her to the couch where they plopped down together, facing the TV with some interest.

'I wonder why there was no label?' Syaoran thought.

He was soon answered.Within moments, in big bold pink and green letters, were the words, "Sakura and Syaoran: The Kawaii Moments"They both felt there faces heat and were suddenly glad that the room was so dim (the lights were out).However, though shocked, neither was willing to shut the video off.The title had sparked just a little bit of curiosity in each of them; both silently eager to see what Tomoyo had taped (as well as fearful of what Tomoyo may have caught them doing ^^).

About fifteen minutes or so into the movie, Sakura desperately wanted an excuse to get out of the room.It was really awkward and uncomfortable to be sitting with the person you were with on the screen, and watch a bunch of clips of the two of you blushing, talking, laughing, etc.But because of the bond they shared, she couldn't just get up and leave.She would have to take him with her.

However, in the depths of her mind, she had a few questions about Syaoran.She was dense, she knew that, but she could tell that in ninety-nine percent of those shots on the screen, Syaoran's face was red.He couldn't have been running a fever that much, could he?Perhaps it was possible...

She also distantly wondered if Syaoran suspected anything about her.He wasn't nearly as clueless as she was, so he may have already caught on about Sakura liking him.But he hadn't said anything...so maybe he hadn't figured it out yet.Then again, maybe he just didn't want to tell her.Or he didn't know.Or...'Arg! This is so confusing!!!'

Syaoran snuck a peek at the cherry blossom, his new suspicions gaining more ground.She was always so flustered when she was around him, and usually a shade of pink or red inhabited her face.That had to mean SOMETHING.

'Could there be the slight, teensy-weensy, tiny, itty-bitty chance that she likes me more than a friend?' Syaoran thought hopefully.

'Or maybe she's just embarrassed about being on camera.' his conscience butted in.

He sighed, at a loss for the time being.He couldn't tell just yet, but he had to smile at the thought of the possibility.It gave his heart just a little more fire to burn in hope; that maybe, just maybe her heart was edging toward him.~

'Oh...Kami...no...'

Sakura panicked silently.She had wanted an excuse to leave the room, but she was hoping she wasn't going to have to deal with something like this.Things couldn't get much worse.

She had to go to the bathroom.

At first, she tried to ignore it, but that didn't help.She tried crossing her legs, shifting position, countless things.But to no avail.She still had to go.

"Syaoran?" she asked weakly, lowering her eyes to the floor.

He turned his head toward her."Hmm?"

'How am I supposed to say this?'"..."

Syaoran watched her foot tap rapidly on the carpeting, as if she were nervous about something."Are you alright, Sakura?" he questioned, placing his right hand on her shoulder, "Is something wrong?"

"I-I..."

"Hai?You can tell me."

"I-I-I have to go to the bathroom." she said softly.

His eyes bulged at the news, but he kept himself under control."Okay, just let me pause the movie."

He pushed the button on the controller and placed it on the armrest, then led Sakura to the bathroom.Upon reaching the door, he took a familiar long green sash out of his right pocket and tied it around his head, to cover his amber eyes from view.With a nod of his head as a silent 'go ahead', Sakura timidly walked into the little bathroom.It felt weird as Syaoran walked in after her, but she had to ignore that for now.

Syaoran blushed crimson when his fingers accidentally brushed her bare leg.He couldn't help it, they were only following suit of what her fingers were doing.He knew somebody up there in the clouds was torturing him with this and probably laughing their butts off about it.

But in the end, they both survived.They exited the bathroom and went back to continue watching the movie, pretending that nothing happened.Both teen Cardcaptors sat through the whole rest of the movie (or clips, or whatever you want to call it).Neither said a single word to the other, gazes fixed solely on the glowing TV screen the entire time.

Once the screen was black and pictureless, the young Mistress and the Li Clan warrior sat in an uncomfortable silence.They obviously weren't going to talk about the movie, that would just make things between them even more awkward than they already were.

Though unnoticed by each other, the young Cardcaptors slowly started turning their heads in toward the small space between them.Looking up at the exact same moment, their eyes met.

As spring emeralds met rich sunset amber, they amazingly didn't turn away.Surprisingly, they sat there like statues, gazing into one another's eyes instead of turning away in a blushing frenzy (like they normally did). 

Undetectable by the eye, they inched closer ever so slowly, entranced and fixed by the other's haunting gaze.Time seemed to halt, just leaving the two coming ever nearer in the dimly-lit room.Just a few inches or so from his face, Sakura's thick lashes closed in anticipation, as Syaoran's did shortly thereafter.

They were too deeply embedded in their fantasies to stop now.Though the other didn't know, they had both secretly dreamed of this moment many times.Now it was becoming reality, a dream-come-true.

It would be impossible to describe how they felt as their lips touched for the first time.The hesitation in each was apparent, but quickly overcome.It started softly, but then Syaoran pushed forward a little, forcefully deepening the connection.Then…

Realization flooded their senses all at once.Audible gasps were issued and they pulled away as quickly as they could, scooting to either end of the couch.They could only stare at each other in shock, still feeling the tingling sensation on their lips.

'We just.......kissed.' they realized.

'But wait a minute...we're on opposite ends of the couch!' Syaoran thought.

Sakura looked at her arm in a mixture of disbelief and surprise.'How?'They looked at their arms, each other, back and forth.

"We're...we're free..." Syaoran breathed.

…To Be Continued???????

That's it for Chapter 7!Sorry if it wasn't worth the wait.I've been busy with school and I just got over the flu.Gomen Minna-san, I'll try my best to have the next chapter out by next weekend.Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it.Gomen about the kissing scene, it just came to my mind.Ah yes, I have two people I would specially like to thank for their insight-giving reviews!Normally I would choose just one, but I had to include both of these. ^^

These are the two reviews I chose that deserved a very special arigato:

ram mahir's review:

the best chapter yet!i guess it's high time there's some dangerous action,ne?^.^ just joking, the other chapters r really awesome read, i've enjoyed them all.so what will happen next?what happened to them?what's the disaster that Eriol knew about?has Kero awakened yet?how will Touya deal with his sister in love with that gaki?!!ooh..so many questions....

Arigato very much for the kind review ram mahir! ^^I'm glad you like the story so far.You'll find out about the disaster later on in the story (I'm saving it for later).Kero has awakened; he can change to Kerberus if he needs to.I'd have to say that Toya doesn't know his sister is in love with Syaoran yet *Eriol-like smile* I'll save that for later.Thank you again, and I hope you continue to R&R, I appreciate it!~Manda-chan

Evil Karyta's review:

Excellent work as always.Your series is one of the most interesting and entertaining one a ever read!I wonder what is going to happen now.What is this new card that decided to show up?Please write the next chapter soon.I really want to know what will happen next and I'm sure I'm not the only one.So keep writing....please (get down on her knees and beg) Write the next chapter soon.

Thanks a ton for your supportive review! ^^I'm so happy that you like the story so far.I haven't actually named the card yet (I'll do that next chapter), but I think you get the general idea.Arigato for giving me the will to keep writing (no one has ever really praised my work like that before ^.^)!I hope you stay tuned for the next chapter, arigato again for your esteeming review!! *sob* You are just too kind to a fanfiction writer...~Manda-chan

Thanks to everyone else who reviewed!I appreciate ALL reviews; I just give special credit to the ones that give me a little insight on how I'm doing.It's important to an author to get feedback, so you deserve thanks! ^^Arigato for reading, spare a review if you can, and I'll be back probably next week with the next chapter! Oh, and check out my new fic "Alone in the Woods" if you get the chance! ARIGATO AGAIN MINNA-SAN!!!~Manda-chan (If you have any questions about Japanese terms, e-mail me or ask about it in a review and I'll get back to you.)


	8. The Forbidden Clow : A Favor for a Favo...

Heyla Minna-san! I'm finally back with "The Forbidden Clow"! I don't know how good this idea is going to be, but it's just something I came up with a short while ago. It doesn't have a Clow Card this time *dodges tomatoes*. Gomen nasai! I wanted write an interlude to the story. I'll have another Black Clow Card next time! Even though there isn't a card, I feel that this chapter has some parts that are extremely important to the development of the story. Please review and tell me what you think! Arigato, and enjoy the very first interlude to "The Forbidden Clow"!! ^.^ ~Manda-chan

Arigatos: E.B, angelwings2001, LeeLee, ashley-chan, lightschild, ~*Just a Memory*~, ~*kokimiyoi*~, Jurei, Ruku-chan, Yoo Doo HEY!!!, cherry blossoms little wolf2, Mayhem's BrainChylde, Syaoran Kinomoto, Kitty, Syoaranluvzsakura, and Melfina Lockheart. ARIGATO!! You guyz keep me going on this fic!

Dedication: I dedicate this chapter to Ashley-chan, who's been reminding me not to forget about this story, and giving me a little more self-esteem! Thank you for reviewing so many of my stories! Your encouragement is deeply appreciated! ARIGATO GOZAIMASU!! (and this chapter is hearby dedicated to you ^^)

Disclaimer: CCS doesn't belong to me, so trying to sue me would be pointless.

****

The Forbidden Clow First Interlude: A Favor for a Favor

After the mishap of Saturday night, Sakura went straight home. She couldn't very well stay the night after what had happened. It would have been pure torture for the both of them. Neither of them would have survived the night.

Sakura sighed and gazed out her bedroom window at the radiance of the full moon. 'Did we really kiss?' she wondered, propping her head up with her hand for a better view.

Still staring up into the star-studded sky, she placed her index finger on her lips and unconsciously closed her eyes. She could still feel the warmth upon them, and it was heart aching. Kami, how she wished he would kiss her again...

"Syaoran......." she whispered, letting her voice die into the darkness.~

*****************************************

They would never let him sleep. Those haunting images of the emerald-eyed cherry blossom were forever branded to the depths of his mind, continually vying for his attention and preventing the drowsiness from taking over.

Tonight was even worse. He could sense her presence all over his room, especially in the bed where he now lay. It hung like a sweet perfume in the air, clouding and befuddling his mind. And then the feeling of her soft, pink lips against his own, almost tangible, even though she had gone back home long ago.

How he longed to kiss her again..........

What exactly happened? He was still unsure, but he was certain they had kissed. It was engraved into his memory. The feeling, the pleasant chill, the sweet, tangy taste, the warmth...it was all so clear to him.

And now....... 

He could feel her everywhere! In the sheets his body was wrapped in, on the pillow where his head was emersed, her scent wafting gently through the air....it was impossible to get away from her.

And it was driving him to the point of insanity! He wanted to see her ever-green eyes again, feel the smoothness of her skin, run his hands through her soft, auburn locks, clutch her tightly in his arms and never let go, and most of all, savor the sweetness of her lips once again.

He looked to the ceiling above, amber eyes half-closed, and mumbled, "Sakura...." before finally drifting into dormancy.~

*****************************************

"KAIJUU!!!!!!!! YOU'D BETTER GET UP BEFORE YOU'RE LATE!!!"

Sakura's heavy eyelids slowly opened into the real world, revealing the green that was held inside. She blinked a few times and glanced at her calendar, then her clock. 'Nani? It's Sunday today! What do I need to get up so early for?'

She squinted at some scribbled writing on the calendar. "Dentist...appointment...10:30..." she read sleepily.

Almost returning to slumber, her eyes suddenly widened into the size of saucers. "HOE!!!! I forgot!" she exclaimed in a panic, jumping out of bed.

She hurriedly showered and dressed, racing down the stairs at the speed of light.

"Want a little something to eat before you go?" Fujitaka asked, holding out a plate of steaming pancakes.

"Iie." Sakura replied, rushing into the bathroom, "Thanks anyway, otousan, but I'm already running late."

Sakura quickly scrubbed her teeth with the bristles of the toothbrush, making sure to get every nook and cranny as spotless as she could. 'I really hate going to the dentist.' Sakura thought, poking through her teeth with minty-green floss, 'All those sharp tools they use...'

She involuntarily shuddered at the thought. Sakura fear wasn't of cavities or gum disease or anything like that, it was of the instruments the dentists would use, scraping over her teeth and gumlines, and picking and pulling all over the place. As a matter of fact, this would be the very first time she was going to the dentist on her own. Usually she would have Tomoyo or her otousan or someone accompany her, but she didn't want to bug them now.

Issuing a quick goodbye to her family, Sakura headed out the door and to the dentist's office.

****************************************

*BRRIIIINNNNGGGG....BRRRRIIIINNNNGGGGG....BRRRIIIIINNNNGGGGGGG*

"Yeah, yeah." Syaoran mumbled, stomping to the phone, "Keep your pants on, I'm coming."

Letting the current ring die away, he snatched the receiver and pressed it to his ear.

"Moshi moshi. This is Li Syaoran speaking. What do you want?"

"Sorry to disturb you, Li-sama, but I've been ordered to contact you."

Syaoran felt a knot tie in his gut. 'They aren't sending me back to Hong Kong, are they?' 

"A-About what?" Syaoran stammered.

"Do you not remember your appointment with him today?"

"Nani? Appointment with who?"

"With the elder! He's should have arrived late last night, and you're supposed to meet him for lunch at one o'clock this afternoon to discuss the future of the Li Clan!"

Syaoran slapped his free hand to his forehead. 'I completely forgot!'

Not letting on that it had slipped his mind, he replied, "Oh yes, that. Where do I meet him at?"

"You'll find him at 'Fing Yan's'."

"Oh right. Uh, arigato."

"Return to us soon, Li-sama."

*Click*

"Damn!" Syaoran cursed, "I hate going to these things on my own, those damn elders are so intimidating!"

Grumbling a few more curses under his breath, he trudged back to the forgotten TV to resume watching his program.

**************************************

Halfway to the dentist's office, Sakura began to slow down, taking her sweet time. She was getting more and more nervous by second. 'Try not to think about it, try not to think about it.' she chanted mentally, doing her best to dismiss the images of the sharp utensils the dentist was sure to use.

It didn't help. She was almost terrified by now. 'I really wish I'd asked either otousan or Tomoyo-chan to come with me,' she thought regretfully, 'but it's too late to go back now.'

Looking ahead, something caught her eye. 'Syaoran's apartment?'

She halted mid-step, still gazing in the direction of the old, weathered building. 'Maybe I could...ask Syaoran to come with me.' she thought, beginning to walk in that direction.

Suddenly, images of the kiss began to float through her mind, causing her to stop once again. Shaking away the mental imprints, she walked up to his door.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

The young Clow Mistress could almost feel the ground rumble as someone approached the door. Just as she took a step forward, the door swung open, revealing an obviously agitated and disgruntled Syaoran.

"What the hell do you want?!" he yelled.

Sakura's green orbs were as wide as they could get.

'EEP!' Syaoran thought, just now realizing that SAKURA was at his front door.

"I-I-If this is a bad time, I understand." Sakura stuttered, turning to leave.

"N-No!" Syaoran assured, grabbing a hold of her shoulder before she reeled around, "Gomen, I had a long night, and I guess I'm kind of cranky. I didn't mean to blow up at you like that."

Sakura gave him a bright smile, making his face turn red.

However, her smile faltered perceptibly as she remembered her primal intention. "Ano...I have a favor to ask you, Syaoran."

"H-Hai?"

Sakura's smile faded and gave way to the fear that was resurfacing inside her. "I...I have a dentist appointment in a few minutes and I'm kinda scared....and....well..."

Noting where she trailed off, Syaoran offered her a soft smile. "And you would feel better if I came with you?"

Her face lit up again and she nodded. "HAI!"

Syaoran stopped momentarily as an idea hit him. "Sakura, if I go along with you to the dentist, could you do a favor for me?"

She blinked and nodded. "Sure."

"Would you accompany me to a luncheon I must attend to this afternoon?" he asked, mentally crossing his fingers.

Sakura was slightly confused. "Luncheon with who?" 

Syaoran sighed. "One of the Li elders."

"Un!" she agreed, "A favor for a favor!"

"Arigato."

"Then let's get going!" Sakura urged.

Syaoran faltered a little, his cheeks receiving the familiar reddish hue. "Can I change first?"

Sakura's face went aflame when she realized that he was standing outside of his apartment in nothing but a pair of green silk boxers.

"H-hai..." she choked out, trying to avoid the sight of his well-muscled body.

"Come on in." Syaoran hailed, going back inside, "I won't be long."

As Syaoran retreated to his room to change apparel, Sakura walked in and shut the door behind her. 

It still amazed her how clean his apartment was always kept. 'Syaoran's quite a neat freak.' she thought with a smirk.

Just as quickly as he had disappeared, Syaoran came racing back down the steps, dressed in khakis and a green t-shirt.

"Got all dressed up for your luncheon?" Sakura asked.

"Sort of." Syaoran replied with a light blush, "Let's go."

****************************************

"C'mon Sakura!!!!"

"NOOOOOO!!!!!!!! I DON'T WANNA!!!!"

The Li Clan's soon-to-be leader was relentlessly tugging Card Mistress Kinomoto Sakura's arm in an attempt to drag her into the small white building.

"Don't you just want to get it over with?!"

"NOOOOO!!!!" Sakura whined, "I don't want to go in there, they're going to-"

"Kami, Sakura!" Syaoran interrupted, "For the last time, they're NOT going to kill you! They're only trying to help!"

"That's just what they want you to think!" Sakura retorted.

Syaoran rolled his eyes and sighed in frustration. "If you're going to be difficult about this Sakura, I'll have no choice but to resort to force."

"I'm NOT going in there!" Sakura insisted.

Catching her offguard, Syaoran pulled her toward himself and heaved her over his shoulder (caveman style). "We'll just see about that."

He successfully managed to carry Sakura into the building, even though she kicked and screamed the whole way. As they entered, they were met by the weird looks and raised eyebrows of employees and other patients. Realizing that everyone was staring at them, Sakura promptly shut her mouth and ceased fighting against Syaoran.

Coming to a pair of vacant waiting chairs, Syaoran let Sakura off of him and they both sat down.

Just a few minutes later, a young blonde-haired man in a white lab coat appeared in the doorway of the waiting room, holding a clipboard.

"I'm looking for Kinomoto Sakura."

Sakura shakily stood up, followed shortly by Syaoran.

"He doesn't need to come." the man stated, making a gesture toward the dark-haired teen.

Sakura turned to the warrior with pleading eyes, silently begging him to argue her point.

"Demo...she's a little scared of going to the dentist, so she asked me to come in with her." Syaoran explained.

The blonde man narrowed his eyes at Syaoran before replying, "Very well."

He led them to the last room on the left and instructed Sakura to lay in the chair that was in the center of the room. "Now Miss Kinomoto, I will begin by checking for cavities and then removing any excess plaque from the surface of you teeth." He tilted his head up to glare at Syaoran. "Your boyfriend will have to stand."

"I'm not her boyfriend." Syaoran corrected, glaring right back at the dentist.

"Oh, are you her brother then?"

"No, I'm not her brother." Syaoran replied coldly, "Just a friend."

The dentist faked a smile in his direction, then turned his attention back to Sakura. "Okay, I'm going to turn this light on." he explained, resting his hand on a strange-looking light above her head, "Just relax and close your eyes."

Sakura obliged, promptly shutting her eyelids.

"Now say, 'Ahh'"

"Aaaaaaaaaaa."

The dentist carefully adjusted the light to shine down on her face. "Hold still, please." he requested, placing a hand between her neck and shoulder to keep her in place, "The light may seem kind of intense."

"Hands OFF." Syaoran ordered, wrathful fire clouding the clear amber of his eyes.

The blonde dentist glowered back at Syaoran, retracting his hand from Sakura. Then he began to search her teeth for any signs of cavities.

Sakura struggled to keep her eyes shut from the blinding light, while at the same time having the young dentist poking around inside of her mouth. His finger brushed against the roof of her mouth, making her squirm and giggle.

"Phat thickles!" she laughed, trying to talk with his hand in her mouth.

He smiled and repeated the gesture, making her laugh harder. 

Syaoran wasn't at all pleased. He was just barely holding back from strangling the man. 'Damn you! Stop flirting with Sakura!'

Instead of giving in to his rising anger, he cleared his throat loudly. The dentist looked up. 

"Is there a problem, sir?" he asked, sporting an almost evil-looking smile.

'This guy is like a grown up version of Hiiragizawa.' Syaoran thought, looking at the fair-haired man in disgust.

The young warrior crossed his arms, giving the dentist his best glare. "Stick to your job."

"Of course." he replied, pulling out a tray of metallic utensils.

Sakura tensed in the chair and looked up at Syaoran, pleading with him to do SOMETHING. Syaoran, realizing that his cherry blossom was beyond frightened, kneeled alongside her reclining chair and took her small hand in his.

"I'll be right here with you." he promised, giving her a reassuring smile.

She managed a small smile in return. "Arigato."

The dentist fixed his glasses, (yup, he has glasses that even look a lot like Eriol's) tapping his foot in growing annoyance. "May I continue? That is, if you two are finished?"

Sakura laid back again, looking up at him. "H-H-Hai Dentist-san." 

He flashed her a dazzling smile of perfect white teeth. "Please call me Aric, Miss Kinomoto." 

"Sure, Aric-san."

"First name basis so soon?" Syaoran questioned, glaring daggers at the smiling dentist.

"I like to get to know my patients." Aric defended.

Syaoran only grunted. Then Aric reached for his first tool, issuing an immediate gasp from Sakura.

"Don't worry, Miss Kinomoto. I'll be extra careful, just for you. Please open up now."

Sakura tried to sink into the chair as the gleaming silver object approached her face, but she didn't get too far. Giving in, she opened her mouth and let the dentist scrape around her teeth. 

'This isn't so bad so far.' Sakura thought, relaxing a little.

Just then, Aric's hand slipped, and the metallic pick hit her delicate gum line."ITAIIIIII!!" Sakura screeched.

Syaoran tried to keep and eye on Sakura to make sure she was alright, but it was hard to keep his eyes focused when she was squeezing his hand for dear life. The more she tightened her grip around his fingers, the more his face would twist in pain. 'She's got one hell of a grip!' he thought.

***************************************

"What kind would you like, Miss Kinomoto?"

"What flavors do you have?"

"Well, there's tropical fruit mix, mint, grape, cherry-"

"I'll have cherry please!" Sakura interrupted.

"Cherry for the cherry blossom? Sounds good to me." he replied with a grin.

Syaoran frowned. 'Only I can call her 'cherry blossom' you freak.' 

The dentist caught the frown on Syaoran's face and gave him a smile back that seemed to say, 'And just what are you going to do about it wolf boy?'".

'Pound your face into the wall.' Syaoran thought.

Aric filled a small paper cup with a clear colored liquid and handed it to Sakura. "Listen carefully, Miss Kinomoto. When I give you the signal, take the cherry-flavored liquid, but DON'T swallow it." he explained, making the actions with his hands as he spoke, "Then hold it in your mouth until I say it's okay to spit it back in the cup. Understood?"

Sakura nodded confidently.

"Okay, ready and ......go."

Sakura took the funny tasting liquid in her mouth and sloshed it back and forth between her balloon-like cheeks, trying to ignore the tingling feeling it administered. She looked up and noticed that both Syaoran and Aric were watching her very closely, almost staring. 'Do I look that funny?' Sakura thought.

She started to feel uneasy from the attention and spit the liquid back into the cup.

"Wait, Kinomoto-san!" Aric exclaimed, "Time wasn't up yet!"

Sakura flushed in embarrassment. "I-I know, but you and Syaoran were looking at me, and....I don't know, I just couldn't hold it in any longer."

Aric sighed and offered her one of his charming smiles. "Want to give it another try?"

"Un. Gomen, I'll get it right this time." she assured.

"Alright.........................go!"

Sakura replaced the liquid inside her mouth and began swishing it back and forth the same as before.

One minute passed...then two...then three...

"Good job, Miss Kinomoto! You may remove the liquid now." 

Sakura happily spit the cherry stuff out and made a face. "That tasted yucky! It didn't taste much like cherries to me."

"Well, that's it!" Aric announced, removing his glasses, "Thank you for being an excellent patient Miss Kinomoto. You're welcome to drop by anytime!"

Syaoran growled something under his breath, sounding suspiciously like, "Why would she want to see you again?"

"Arigato, Aric-san!"

"Oh, one more thing. Do you want a new toothbrush?" he asked.

Sakura smiled childishly. "Do you have a pink one?" 

Aric began digging through his cupboards and pulled out bubble-gum pink toothbrush, still in a plastic case. "As a matter of fact, I do! And the last one too! Aren't you lucky?"

He handed it to her and she smiled sweetly, accepting the gift.

"Arigato, Aric-san! Ja ne!"

"Ja, Miss Kinomoto Sakura! Have a nice day!"

"You too!" Sakura replied, literally being PUSHED out of the room by a seriously annoyed Syaoran.

****************************************

"Syaoran, you and Aric-san didn't seem to get along too well."

*grunt*

"I think he was pretty nice, and very kind too."

*growl* *grumble* 

"Mou, Syaoran, you can stop making those noises now."

*grunt*

"Well, arigato for coming with me. I do appreciate it, despite how rude you were to Aric-san."

"I don't like him." Syaoran stated.

Sakura sweat-dropped, deciding that it would be best to change the subject. "Anyways, what time is your luncheon, Syaoran?"

He took a glance at his watch. "In about half an hour."

"Ano, Syaoran?"

"Hai?"

"Do you think I would have time to switch these jeans for something nicer?"

"Depends how quickly you can change."

"I'll be fast, I promise!"

Syaoran sighed. "Alright, let's go." He pulled out the unmistakable form of the Dash Card. "This might help."

Calling forth his trusty Chinese sword, he released the power of the Dash Card, grabbed Sakura's hand, and sped full speed towards her house.

Syaoran came to a full halt on her walkway, Sakura swinging around behind him, unable to stop her momentum immediately.

He made a hand gesture toward the bright yellow house. "Here you go. Please hurry, I'll be waiting out here."

Sakura, needing no further persuasion, rushed into her house.

Syaoran was astonished when she reappeared but minutes later, wearing a stunning emerald-green dress that matched his shirt perfectly. "V-Very nice." he commented, feeling his face morph into a ripe tomato.

"Arigato." she blushed, "But we'd better go. You don't want to be late for your meeting."

"Right." he mumbled, regaining his composure.~

When 'Fing Yan's' was in sight, Sakura looked to Syaoran as a question formed on her lips. "Syaoran...it IS okay if I come with you to this, ne?"

'Damn!' Syaoran cursed mentally, 'I hadn't thought of that.'

"It should be." he replied simply, holding the door of the restaurant open for her.

Sakura halted, her green eyes meeting his chocolate-amber ones. "You mean you don't even know?!"

"I didn't have time to find out!" Syaoran affirmed, "If he makes a big deal out of it, we'll leave."

"If you say so." Sakura shrugged, finally going through the door he still had opened.

Coming to a large lobby-like room, they were met by a comely, well-dressed man holding a large black book. 

"Do you have a reservation?" the dark-haired gentleman asked.

"Hai. Reservations for Li Syaoran."

The thick pages of the dark book flipped as the man searched for the name.

"Ah! Here you are sir!" he announced, "Demo...only a single reservation has been made. I'm afraid I can't let your beautiful lady friend enter. Gomen."

"Syaoran, you said-"

"Let her pass." Syaoran commanded, narrowing his eyes at the taller man, "It's taken care of."

"But sir-"

"I SAID it's taken care of."

The waiter cringed and managed a shaky smile. "O-Of course, sir. Right this way then."

The receptionist/waiter led the Cardcapting couple to a scarlet room streamed with gold imprints of Chinese dragons. Off in the corner was an aged man, well into his seventies, dressed in fine green robes embroidered in gold and silver, with fine gold lining. He was sitting at a small table, an empty chair waiting across from him.

Sakura leaned her head to Syaoran's and whispered into his ear. "Is that the elder?"

Syaoran didn't answer, but nodded. He then faced the receptionist, gesturing at another open table. "It seems we're missing a seat. Would you kindly move our group to this table for three?"

"May I ask why, sir?"

Syaoran smirked. "The old guy is with us."

The man in the dashing tuxedo nodded, going to fix up the table Syaoran had requested. In the mean time, the future head of the Li Clan approached the graying, but stern looking old Chinese man.

"Fuan-sama?"

At this, the elder's head shot up. "Ah, if it isn't Li Xiao Lang. Please take a seat."

Syaoran held his ground and motioned to the newly intended seating arrangement. "I've requested that we're to be seated here."

The elder gave him a funny look, but obliged, vacating his chair and relocating at the new table. Syaoran followed after him, taking a moment to urge forward his female companion. Sakura reluctantly walked a few paces behind him, still unnoticed by the royal-looking old man. 

It wasn't until she seated herself beside Syaoran that the elder finally took notice of her. His eyes widened at the emerald-eyed stranger, then switched to give a piercing glare to the straight-faced Syaoran.

"Li Xiao Lang, WHAT is the meaning of this!?"

Sakura backed up in her chair and prepared to leave, but Syaoran swiftly grabbed hold of her fragile hand to keep her in place.

"Fuan-sama, I would like you to meet Kinomoto Sakura, Mistress of the Clow Cards."

The elder was in shock. "MISTRESS OF THE CLOW CARDS!?!?"

Sakura winced at the anger in his voice.

"Yes, MISTRESS of the Clow Cards." Syaoran confirmed, still showing no change in his expression.

"YOU were supposed to have retrieved the Clow Cards for the Clan, Xiao Lang! Did you forget that?!"

"No, I didn't forget." Syaoran answered calmly, "But she was chosen by the Guardian Beast of the Seal himself."

The blue-eyed elder blinked and turned his glare to the jittery Sakura. "Is this true?"

She swallowed and nodded. "Hai."

He switched his gaze back to Syaoran. "And WHY was the Li Clan not informed of this?" he demanded impatiently.

"We've been too busy collecting the Clow Cards." Syaoran stated.

The elder was astonished. "WE?! What do you mean 'we'?! You HELP her?!"

Syaoran gave a tender smile to Sakura, before turning back to the angered elder. "That's correct."

"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!!" the gray-haired man exploded, throwing his robed arms into the air, "How could you disgrace your family, your whole CLAN like this, Xiao Lang!?"

Syaoran finally lost his patience. "Disgrace!? Just because I didn't collect the Clow Cards?! What was I supposed to do?!"

"Take them from her!!" the elder exclaimed.

"I DID try that." Syaoran fended, "But being the chosen one, she proved to be more worthy than I was. You can't cheat destiny."

"Destiny!? You're now proposing that DESTINY is at work here?!"

Syaoran shrugged. "I see no other explanation. She was chosen by Kerberus to be the rightful Cardcaptor. This must be how Clow Reed intended it."

The elder sighed, regaining his composure, and changed topics. "And what about you, Li Xiao Lang? When are you going to fulfill your destiny?"

"My destiny?"

"Leading the Clan." the elder stated, locking his cold eyes with Syaoran's.

Syaoran wished the topic hadn't come up, especially in front of Sakura, but it reared its ugly head anyway. That's what this meeting had originally been arranged for, to discuss the future of their Clan. 'But I don't want to leave Japan.' Syaoran thought, 'More importantly, I don't want to leave Sakura.'

Then again, who said 'leading the Clan' was destiny? It was just something the family had put him up for, not something he was called to. 

Perhaps his true destiny was yet to be found. 

"How is that destiny?" Syaoran queried, breaking from his thoughts.

The elder seemed flustered by the young warrior's question. "It's.....It's.....*cough* You don't question higher powers!"

"It's not my destiny."

"WHAT!? And just what makes you think-"

"Destiny is something you're called to, something you find for yourself." Syaoran stated defiantly, crossing his arms.

"Then what is your destiny, Li Xiao Lang?"

"That's for ME to determine, not the Clan."

"And who will lead the Clan? Are you denying your heritage?"

Syaoran maintained his stoic expression. "Who even said that I WANTED to lead the Clan?"

"But your family would be honored throughout the ages!"

"What good does that do?"

Seeing the elder shocked out of his years, Syaoran couldn't help as an amused smile worked its way across his face.

The elder was appalled. "Wipe that smile off your face, boy!! Li Clan men DON'T smile!! What have these years in Japan DONE to you, Xiao Lang!?!? You were such a tough, skilled warrior, the perfect leader for our Clan, and now you've...YOU'VE..."

"I've?"

"You've changed completely!!" He blinked suddenly as a thought hit him like a hammer. He aimed an accusing wrinkled finger at the startled young Card Mistress. "YOU did this to him, didn't you!? YOU convinced Xiao Lang to denounce the Clan!!!"

Sakura cowered under the splendidly-robed form's incriminating glare. "Gomen, sir, I-I-"

"Don't blame her!" Syaoran yelled, standing up to protect his partner, "This was MY choice!"

"You're denouncing your Clan, Xiao Lang? You're going to dishonor your ENTIRE family!?"

"There are still more Cards to capture! Maybe my destiny is HERE, in Japan!"

Sakura couldn't believe her ears. 'Syaoran is disobeying his family, his Clan, just to stay in Japan?'

"THAT'S INSUBOARDINATION!!!" the elder raged.

"The Clan has no right to make such decisions about my life!"

The old man calmed down and stood up, pushing his chair in. "The Clan will be informed of your decision, Li Xiao Lang."

He limped his old body toward the exit and turned around only once more to give a final glare to young Chinese warrior. "I hope you're proud of yourself, Xiao Lang." he spat, "Dishonoring and denouncing your Clan, just to remain here with this feeble little girl."

"Her name is SAKURA." Syaoran corrected.

The elder raised his thinning gray eyebrows. 'So it IS the young girl that's keeping him here." he realized, 'But by his OWN will, not hers.'

He turned back toward the door and headed out, shaking his head slightly. 'I thought you were a strong one, Xiao Lang, a true Li Clan man. But you've fallen victim to the biggest weakness of all...'~

*****************************************

"Sakura?"

She turned her green eyes to meet his dark amber ones. "Hai, Syaoran-kun?"

"I'm really sorry about all that...gomen nasai. I really didn't want to drag you into it."

"Don't be sorry, Syaoran. I'm the one who should be sorry." she corrected.

Syaoran's eyes broadened. "You? Doushite?"

She lowered her head in shame. "None of this would have happened if I had just given you the Clow Cards."

Syaoran lifted up her chin, giving her a soft smile. "Don't be sorry about it, Sakura. That's YOUR destiny, not mine."

The young Mistress's face crimsoned and Syaoran chuckled.

"Besides," he continued, "They had to find out SOME time. Those people are like Gestapos or something, it's impossible to hide anything from them, and they try to control and dictate your entire life for their ideals."

"But they're your family, Syaoran!" Sakura protested.

"I know that. I just don't want them using me like a puppet. I want space of my own, to be my own person."

"But why, Syaoran? Why did you turn down all that honor, respect, and power?"

Syaoran turned his head away rebuffly, a pale blush coloring his cheeks. "Power isn't everything, Sakura. And though I may have lost their respect, I still have my sense of honor."

"Syaoran, you may be free here, but-"

"We form a TEAM, Sakura." he interrupted, "Now to break THAT, would be truly dishonorable."

Sakura's face regained the red tints once again. "I just don't want to cause you trouble, Syaoran. I feel like this whole mess is my fault."

"It's never your fault, Sakura. Ever." he assured.

She smiled at his kind words.

"Now, do you still want to have lunch?" he questioned, "I wasn't sure if you liked Chinese food."

"I think it's worth a try." Sakura decided, picking up her menu, "What do you recommend?"

Syaoran stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I heard the Chow Mien here is pretty good."

Sakura smiled her gratitude. "I'll take your word for it." she agreed, closing her menu.

A waiter popped up a few moments later, but was glancing from place to place along the table, as if searching for something. 

"Wasn't there an elderly man with you?" he asked.

"His dentures busted." Syaoran lied.

Sakura punched his shoulder. "Syaoran!" 

"Anyway, what will you two have?" the waiter continued, ignoring the last comment.

"Two orders of Chow Mien please." Syaoran requested, "And two cups of tea, one herbal one...."

"Make that two herbal." Sakura broke in.

"Will that be all?"

"Hai." they replied in unison, both blushing at their timing.

******************************************

"This Chinese food is SUGOI Syaoran-kun!!" Sakura praised, taking in another mouthful of her Chow Mien.

He nodded, sipping from his tea. "I'm glad you like it."

She rested her elbows on the table, placing one slender hand against the side of her face, and the other busily twisting a stray strand of her honey-colored hair.

One of her kawaii habits that Syaoran loved.

She smiled up at him cutely. "Syaoran, you know what?"

"Nani?"

"I'm really glad you decided to stay here in Toemeda."

"And I won't be leaving." he assured.

'I WON'T be leaving.' he thought, as if the Clan could hear him.

******************************************

The elder with the chilling blue eyes looked back at the restaurant, gazing sadly through the glass at the Cardcapting duo as conversed and laughed.

"I never thought you, of all people, would have fallen in love, Li Xiao Lang" he spoke, barely above a whisper, "Meiling-san will not be pleased..."

*WHEW* I finally finished my first interlude! Yay! Gomen nasai Minna-san, I would have had it out sooner, but my sister and her husband came up to visit last week, AND I had exams the same week, so I didn't get to write AT ALL. Gomen again. I hope you enjoyed it though. I tried to make it pretty long to make up for the wait. Oh! And I officially quit that "most incitful review" thing. You ALL deserve the big thanks and Arigato's EQUALLY, not just a special choice one! Hope that's okay!! ^.^

So was this interlude okay? I try to make the story enjoyable, I really do! Sometimes it doesn't come out as good as I hoped though... Ah well! I should be back next week with another chapter (unless driver's ed gets in the way a lot). Arigato for reading the chapter, and PLEASE spare a review, it really doesn't take long! Arigato again, and may everyone have a delightful June day!!! ^^ ~Manda-chan


	9. The Forbidden Clow: A Monday Not Soon To...

Konnichiwa, Minna-san! ^.^ Don't look at me that way, it hasn't been that long! Anyway, I'm back with another chapter of The Forbidden Clow, and yes, there's a Black Clow Card this time! ^^ However, I will issue a warning: Meiling fans won't like this one bit. I'm basically using her as a villain (or rather, one of them for now, you'll find out about the others in later chapters ^.^). Gomen, but the story just wouldn't work if Meiling was nice and friendly, etc, etc. Oh, and just for the sake of this fanfiction, Meiling has never been to Japan or met Sakura before.

**THIS CHAPTER**: If you like seeing Syaoran in a jealous frenzy, you'll love this chapter. I'm really going to lay it on thick for him, simply because of this particular card. ^.^ I'm sure other CCS authors will agree with me, torturing poor Syaoran-kun is just so much FUN! ^^ Other than that, the ending may have you surprised. 

**A NEW FIC??**: Also, for those of you who are interested, I have another idea for a small series fic (a humorous one!). I REALLY want to get started on it, and I probably will this coming week. I'd tell you what my idea is, but I'm afraid that someone may just snatch it right from under my nose (and needless to say, I wouldn't like that). Anyway, as I already mentioned, it will be S+S humor, but not the kind you're used to! *Eriol-like grin* If you want to know more, be free to e-mail me and I'll let you know the details, but I just don't want anyone to take the idea (I think it's a GOOD one!)! Kami-sama!!! I REALLY want to write this fic, it's going to be such a BLAST!!! ^.^

Arigato to all R&R-ers and here's my next chapter! Please spare a review if you can find the time and the goodness in your heart to give some input to a poor fanfiction writer! This is for you Minna-san, remember that! Enjoy! ^^

Arigatos: ~The Power, ashley-chan, kiss of death, ~*~Starlight Princess~*~, Leeman, Katie Marie, Negai, soil, melfina, Michelle, Afan (arigato for the very kind review), Jurei-chan, E.B., Gia, Geo(Domo for the unique review ^.^), Erin, angelwings2001, coolmoon03, Horseamew, and Big Wolf.

Disclaimer: Do I have to repeat it?! PLEASE don't make me! ONEGAI! T.T

Dedication: This is dedicated to 4 people who really keep me going on this fic. I want to give a special thanks to ashley-chan (you've been encouraging me to keep up with this fic for a LONG time, arigato!), Leeman (Domo for all the encouragement and I'm glad you enjoy the stories! ^^), Katie Marie (Arigato for reading the whole ficcy and I'm glad you like it! To answer your questions, "Ja ne" generally means "goodbye" or "See you later". When all the cards are captured, the disaster will strike (the one Eriol mentioned in Chap. 5), so don't worry. I'm not ending ^.^), and finally, Jurei-chan (for being a great tomadachi online and reviewing all my ficcys! Domo arigato! Talk to you later!).

****

The Forbidden Clow Chapter Nine: A Monday Not Soon To Be Forgotten

With her raven hair thrown carelessly over her shoulder, the young teen walked down the airplane's clinking metal stairway, her nose held high. Her ruby eyes flickered menacingly, the fire within them burning hatefully.

She clenched her teeth as an acrid bile rose to her throat. 'SHE WILL PAY!'

***************************************

Sakura Kinomoto abruptly woke from her comforting dormancy as the sun's unwelcome rays shed yellowish-white luminance upon her sleepy face.

'And it's Monday...' she thought sourly.

She attempted to return to the beautiful dream world, but decided that it was useless. If she was already awake before the alarm, she might as well get up. At least then she wouldn't have to pay any heed to that annoying ring that would usually snap her out of the dreamy illusions.

Taking just enough time for a morning yawn, she slipped out of bed and into the bathroom. She hated Mondays more than any other day of the week, but she might as well make the best of it.

After a refreshing shower, she slipped into her school uniform and stood in front of her vanity mirror, brushing through strands of her auburn hair. She eyed the reflection of her image curiously, almost getting the feeling that something was out of place. 'Ah, that's just because you're not awake yet.' her mind assured.

Throwing her backpack over her shoulder, she bounced out of the room with her usual amount of genkiness. However, there was still that inexplicable little sensation that seemed to hover in the air around her.

"Ohayo otousan!" Sakura greeted, entering the kitchen.

Fujitaka returned the greeting warmly. "Ohayo Sakura-san. Would you like a little breakfast before you leave?"

"Iie. Thanks anyway otousan, but I don't want to get back into my old habit of arriving late to school."

"Alright." he replied, giving her a hug, "See you tonight then."

"Ja ne!" Sakura called, heading out the front door.

As she strode down her walkway, she grinned up at the shining sun. 'Sugoi! It doesn't seem like Monday at all! Usually Mondays are so dreary and gloomy, but today...quite the contrary!'

"Sakura?"

She jumped three feet into the air. "Hoe!?"

She pivoted on her heel to come face to face with a smiling Syaoran.

"You're so easy to scare!" he chided.

"Syaoran!" Sakura realized, "What are you doing here?"

His face registered slight warmth. "I thought, y'know, we could..uh...walk to school together." 

"Un!" she agreed genially.

During their promenade, Syaoran couldn't help but notice that Sakura seemed...different today. There was something rather odd and mysterious about her appearance. 

For one, her smile carried a little more sunshine than usual. And an ethereal glow seemed to hang around her like a curtain, making her fair skin shine in the morning light. 

"Ano...Sakura?"

The Clow Mistress turned to her dark-haired companion. "Hai?"

'WHOA!' Syaoran thought, eyes growing wide, "Am I seeing things or are her eyes actually SPARKLING?"

She blinked. "Did you have a question? Hello?" She waved a hand in front of his dazed face. "Is something wrong, Syaoran?"

The young Chinese warrior shifted back into reality. "Huh?"

Sakura poked him playfully. "Were you daydreaming or something?"

His face crimsoned. "Ano...ano, Iie. Just thinking." he lied.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" 

Sakura and Syaoran snapped their heads forward simultaneously, searching for the source of the unpleasant noise.

Standing a mere few feet away from them was a girl who appeared to be about their same age, with midnight hair and scarlet red eyes. Her hands were on her hips and she seemed to be trying to burn a hole through Sakura with the glare she was giving. Sakura tilted her head in question and Syaoran grimaced.

"WHO ARE YOU?" the girl demanded, stepping closer.

"Who, me?" Sakura asked cluelessly, pointing a shaky finger to herself.

"Yes, YOU." 

"M-My name is Kinomoto Sakura. Who are-"

"KINOMOTO SAKURA!?" the girl raged, as a realization hit her like a ton of bricks, "GET AWAY FROM HIM!! NOW!! I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE UP TO!!!"

Sakura took a step back from the flaming teen and turned to Syaoran questioningly. "What's going on, Syaoran? Do you know her?"

He was about to answer when the raven-haired girl dashed forward and wrapped her arms around him, glowering in Sakura's direction. "STAY AWAY FROM HIM, KINOMOTO!! HE'S MY FIANCE!"

Sakura's whole world seemed to stop turning right then and there. "F-Fiancé?" she croaked in a near whisper.

Syaoran tried to plead with her silently, begging her to understand, but she simply shook her head. "Sorry to bother you two…" she mumbled dejectedly, heading off toward the school.

"MATTE, SAKURA!" Syaoran called after her, trying to get away from the prying arms of the ruby-eyed girl.

Sakura ignored him and sauntered away, bowing her head sadly.

*****************************************

"Syaoran!" the girl cried, hugging him, "I missed you so much!"

He rolled his eyes and pulled away from her, brushing himself off. "What do you want, Meiling?" he spat.

"You're not happy to see me?" she questioned sorrowfully.

Syaoran pointed down the sidewalk in the aim of where Sakura had gone. "Not after what you just did!"

"What?" Meiling pouted, crossing her arms, "I was just supposed to sit back and watch while she flirted with you?"

"FLIRTED!?" Syaoran near exploded, "We were walking to school together, that's all!!"

"I saw the way she looked at you." Meiling retorted.

Syaoran sighed. "Why don't you just go back to Hong Kong?"

"And leave you here with that WITCH!? NO WAY!"

Syaoran crossed his arms in annoyance. "You have no right to call Sakura a witch, Meiling. You don't even know her!"

"And you call her 'Sakura'?! What happened to you, Syaoran?"

Syaoran tried to change the subject. "I thought I already cleared everything to the elder about this."

Meiling stood firm. "I won't let you give up your Clan just like that! I'm here for you now, Syaoran. You don't need that Kinomoto girl!"

Syaoran started walking toward the school. "You have no idea what's going on here, Meiling." 

"OOOO!!!! It's that 'Kinomoto' that's done this to you!" she fumed, "She poisoned your mind!"

"What are you talking about, Mei-"

"I'M GOING TO PUT A STOP TO THIS!" Meiling announced, charging off to the school.

Syaoran reluctantly followed after her. 'Oh kami-sama...why me?'

****************************************

"Ohayo, Sakura-chan!" Rika, Naoko, and Chiharu greeted as Sakura walked in.

Sakura didn't even bother with a simple 'hello'. She merely sulked to her seat on the far side of the room and put her head down.

"I wonder what's wrong with, Sakura-chan?" Chiharu wondered, "She's usually so cheerful and happy."

"Yeah." Rika agreed, "I hope everything is okay."

"Sakura-chan is probably just tired." Naoko assured.

"Yeah." they agreed, though still unsure.

Sakura gazed out the window sullenly. 'This is turning out to be the worst Monday ever...'

She felt a sudden wave of anger and betrayal well through her. 'And he never even told me he had a fiancée! Doesn't he know how much I...'

She bitterly turned her head from the bright sun. 'No...he doesn't know how much I love him. But with a fiancée, he wouldn't even care.'

Breaking away from her dismal thoughts, she looked up at the doorway as she heard two familiar voices approaching. Sure enough, moments later, Eriol and Tomoyo strode into the room, chatting intently about something.

"Yes, really!" Tomoyo spoke excitedly to Eriol as they approached their seats, "I caught it all on tape!"

Eriol grinned. "You'll have to show me sometime, Tomoyo-san."

Tomoyo was about to reply when she finally caught sight of Sakura. "Ohayo, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo waved, smiling happily.

Sakura looked up, but didn't say a word.

Tomoyo ceased her waving and her smile dissipated. "What happened?" she asked, putting a friendly hand on Sakura's shoulder. 'I hope this doesn't have anything to do with Li-kun.' she thought.

"I'll tell you later." 

The two best friends were suddenly interrupted as the deep voice of the British boy filled the air. "Ohayo, Sakura-san. Don't be so glum!"

Sakura looked up and Eriol seemed taken aback, almost in awe. Regaining his composure, he took her slender hand and bent his head to kiss it in his old way of greeting. "I must say, Sakura-san, you look absolutely radiant today." he spoke, as if he were entranced.

All three classmates abruptly turned toward the sound of stampeding feet. "Let go of her hand right now, Hiiragizawa!!" Syaoran's voice bellowed.

Sakura didn't even bother looking at Syaoran. Instead, she gazed over to the doorway, where she saw his raven-haired fiancée. 'Strange, she seems upset about something.' Sakura noted.

"I told you to LET GO!"

She was snapped out of her contemplation as she felt her hand forcefully ripped away from Eriol's. She finally glanced up at Syaoran, giving him a rather vexing glare. "Keep your hands off of me."

Syaoran only got out a "But-" before he was interrupted by Meiling. "You keep your hands off my Syaoran." she corrected, promptly glomping him.

"Fine with me." Sakura spat, turning her head away from them.

Tomoyo and Eriol sweat-dropped. "Excuse me." Tomoyo pried, noting the pained look Syaoran was giving to Sakura, "What's going on here?"

"I can explain." Syaoran spoke up, hoping to get through to Sakura.

"I'm Syaoran's fiancée!" Meiling interceded, grinning.

"N-NO! Matte, there's more to it than that! I-"

This time Tomoyo interrupted, giving Syaoran the mother of all death glares and the 'how-could-you-hurt-my-Sakura-chan-like-that' look. "I think we've heard enough, Li-kun." she decided.

"NO! But-"

The teacher chose that moment to enter the room. "Settle down class! And take your seats please."

The students obeyed, seating themselves, all except Meiling.

"We have a new student today!" the teacher continued, "I would like everyone to give a warm welcome to Li Meiling."

Meiling stepped up to the front of the class. "Ohayo." she greeted with a bow, using quite fluent Japanese.

"Meiling comes from Hong Kong, the same as your classmate Li Syaoran. Make her feel at home, Minna-san."

Meiling happily greeted her new classmates as the sensei debated on where to seat her. 

In the back of the room, Syaoran scribbled on a scrap piece of paper and folded it, quickly tossing it onto the edge of Sakura's desk as unnoticeably as possible.

Sakura blinked as the little white note appeared next to her arm. Upon opening it, she immediately recognized the handwriting as Syaoran's.

_Sakura, _

Please meet me under the tall oak tree in the schoolyard at lunch. I need to talk to you.

-Syaoran

Sakura stared at the paper for awhile, before simply replying 'Why?' and chucking it behind her.

Syaoran eagerly unfolded the paper. Only one word was written. 'Why?'

He was perplexed by the question and wasn't particularly sure what to say. 'Maybe now would be a good time to tell her...'

He quickly scratched some writing onto the paper and placed it back on her desk. Sakura sighed and casually unwrapped the same paper and read it over.

_Two reasons. First of all, I have an apology, and second...I have something else I really need to tell you. Please, Sakura. It's important._

Sakura's eyes saddened at the revelation of his intentions. 'Why is he going to bother telling about his fiancée if I already found out on my own? And an apology? For what, not telling me sooner?' She wrote a quick reply and turned around halfway to put the note on his desk.

He unruffled the creased paper.

_I'll be there._

He resealed the note and stuffed it in his uniform pocket, suddenly feeling in higher spirits than before.

"Alright, Meiling...why don't you sit next to Syaoran?"

Meiling's eyes lit up. "Arigato!" she thanked the teacher, prancing to her waiting desk, "Hey, Syaoran!"

He sighed in frustration and turned to look out the window. "Leave me alone, Meiling." 'I won't let her get to me.' he thought, feeling a smile work its way onto his features, 'After lunch hour today, she'll just have to deal with my decision.'

"Excuse me, BOYS!" the teacher spoke up, obviously annoyed by something, "But may I ask exactly WHAT is so interesting about Kinomoto-san?"

Syaoran looked up at the sound of his beloved's name and felt his face get red in pure rage. "NANI!?"

The entire male population of the room was agape and gawking at Sakura. Even the teacher now shut his mouth and was looking in her direction in some sort of awe.

Syaoran glared at all of them, as a warning, but was astounded when they completely IGNORED him!

Sakura looked around the room nervously. 'Why are they all staring at me? Do I have something on my face?'

The glaring warrior was dumbfounded. Not ONE guy heeded his warning! Unable to contend with his boiling animosity any longer, he abruptly stood up, knocking his chair over in the process. "What's WRONG with all of you!?" he yelled, catching everyone's attention instantly, "Do you have a STARING problem or something?!"

He passed his intimidating glare around the room, as if daring even one of them to cast another glance in Sakura's direction. It seemed to work for the time being. One by one, each guy reluctantly turned back to whatever they were doing before, some whispering quietly with their close by male friends.

Syaoran retrieved his chair from the floor behind him, and sat down again, casting a glance or two around the room now and then. 'The NERVE of these guys!' he thought, 'Don't they ever give up?'

The young Li Clan warrior spent his entire morning warding people away from the Cherry Blossom. Every time the bell would ring, guys would flock to Sakura like a bunch of annoying flies. They would crowd around her, asking her out, telling her how beautiful she was, etc. 

Thankfully for Syaoran, Sakura would turn them all down; politely refusing each and every time one of them asked.

But strangely enough, it didn't stop them from coming. 

*****************************************

Lunchtime came rather quickly and Syaoran hurried to get to the oak tree, remembering that he was supposed to meet Sakura there. Unfortunately, Meiling found him before he could get there.

"Syaoran! Wait up!" Meiling called, abruptly pointing to something on the other side of the schoolyard. "If you're looking for Kinomoto, she's over there." Meiling reported, smirking.

Syaoran followed the finger's path, which led to a very large group of boys. Looking a little closer, he could just barely see a familiar auburn head among the mob. 'There they go AGAIN!' he thought, an anime vein popping out from his head, 'Why can't they just leave her alone!?'

He took a heavy step in their general direction, holding his fists stiffly at his sides. 'How can I talk to Sakura when they're all over her!?'

"Oh, give it up, Syaoran!" Meiling pleaded, latching onto his arm like a blood-sucking leech, "Kinomoto is too busy with her 'fanclub' now. You don't need her!'

Syaoran desperately wrenched his arm away from his so-called 'Fiancée', facing her with his ever-present scowl. "Just stay out of it, Meiling! For the last time, GO BACK TO HONG KONG!"

"You just wait, Syaoran! I'll prove to you that Kinomoto is bad news, no matter how long it takes!" And with that, Meiling stomped back off toward the school, mumbling to herself as she went.

Syaoran sighed in relief, happy to be rid of his obsessive cousin for at least a moment, and turned back to his previous task: Saving the Clow Mistress from the mass of hormone-driven males.

Much to his immediate surprise, he apparently wouldn't need to intervene at all. Sakura had somehow managed to squeeze out of the tight swarm of boys and was presently making a wild dash for the oak tree. When at last the fazed out group of highschoolers realized that Sakura had gotten away, she was already safely hidden behind the expansion of the large oak tree and out of their sight.

Syaoran smiled to himself and headed for the tree, ready to fully explain everything to Sakura. Upon reaching it, he checked to make sure he wasn't followed by any of the 'zombie guys' and joined her under the shelter of the tree.

"Hey." he greeted casually, "I see you made it away from your mob of admirers."

She looked up and frowned. "You have no idea how long it took me to get away from them!" she whined, "Every single time I turned them down, they'd just come right back again! I don't think I can take anymore!"

Syaoran looked away and glowered. "I know just how you feel."

"Y'know, Li-kun, I'm getting the feeling that this is happening for a specific reason. I think it's a-"

He felt a wave of unhappiness at how she reverted to his last name, but tried to ignore it. "A black Clow Card?"

She nodded. "Hai. I can't find any other explanations. Demo...I can't figure out what card this could possibly be, either. I'll have to ask Kero-chan later."

"Sakura...about why I asked you to meet me here..."

She didn't look at him, but it was apparent what was going through her mind as she sat gazing woefully upon the ground.

He knew she was thinking about his engagement to Meiling. And he needed to at least try to apologize for keeping it a secret from her. "First of all, I need to apologize for not telling you about Meiling. Truthfully, I wanted to forget about her." he explained, "Yes, she's my fiancée by prearranged marriage of the Clan, but it wasn't my choosing. I thought the elder would have cleared that up to the Clan, but instead, it seems they sent Meiling to try and drag me back." He sighed and took a breath, "Gomen, I know I should have told you sooner, but I didn't want to hurt you."

"It hurts more when you wait." Sakura spoke up.

Syaoran looked over to her, feeling a knot tie in his gut as a tear made its way down her face. She abruptly turned to face him, more and more streaks running from her emerald eyes. "I didn't need you to tell me about your fiancée, Li-kun. I found out this morning on my own. Demo, I still can't believe you never told me. We've been through so much together, and you never once mentioned anything about having a fiancée! I thought our friendship was close, to the point where I could tell you almost anything! And you've been hiding that from me all this time!"

She gradually stood up from her position beneath the oak tree, her tears falling to the grass below. "I'm really happy for you and Meiling, Syaoran. I'm not angry about that." She waited for a moment, until he looked up, meeting her eyes. "To tell you the truth, I'm angry with myself."

Syaoran seemed perplexed. "Why would you be angry with yourself?" he questioned, looking up at her from where he sat.

She choked back a new wave of tears. "Because I fell in love with you."

That's chapter 9 Minna-san! I really wasn't going to end there, but it seemed like the perfect place to stop the chapter. I hope you'll all stay tuned for the next one. This may be the last Black Clow Card, but I'm not sure yet. Depends on how the rest of the continuation of this chapter goes. Anyway, arigato for reading, and I hope it was at least slightly enjoyable. Gomen, this is probably a bit short for my usual chapter length, but it's REALLY hot in this room right now, and it's hard to stay in here for too long. But I should be back next week with another chapter. ^.^ Until then, Ja Minna-san! ~Manda-chan

Review please! It really helps when you tell me what you thought about my writing. Besides, it's not easy to stay in this sauna-like room to type. It's like hell in here. *passes out from heat*


	10. The Forbidden Clow: Caught in the Act

Konnichiwa, Minna-san! I'm back with the tenth chapter of "The Forbidden Clow". I know it's not my best fanfiction, but I like it well enough. However, I owe all my thanks to about 12 of you who almost always review for this fic. ARIGATO SOOOOOOO MUCH!!! You guys keep my going on this story! Review if the time can be spared please! Arigato, and I hope you enjoy the chapter ^.^ ~Manda-chan

**THIS CHAPTER**: Oh Kami-sama! Sakura confessed! What will Syaoran do? And how will Meiling fit into the picture? You'll be surprised, Minna-san! I promise! ^^

**Disclaimer**: CCS belongs to Clamp. 

**Arigatos**: Leeman (arigato for the sympathy ^^), Ashley-chan (arigato for your great review!), ~*Starlight Princess*~ (I'm glad you liked the last chapter ^.^), obiwankatie (here's the next chapter, gomen for leaving you hanging), Big Wolf (arigato for the kind review!), Katie Marie (you're welcome ^^ Glad I could help), Tomogirl (arigato for your review!), Geo (On the edge of your seat? Really??), Eternal Haven (Will he get the chance? Read and find out ^.^), Afan (Arigato for the encouragement! It really helps!), Jurei-chan (Arigato! Talk to you soon!), E.B. (Heyla, Aura-chan! ^.^ Ni-chan has the last 3 episodes of the CCS 2nd arc (can you say 'Yue'? ^^)!!! You've GOT to see them!), melfina (I'm still continuing, don't worry), Kitty (Was it really that sad? *rereads last chapter* Oopsy...guess it was ^^;), and ~*Just a Memory*~ (thanks for reviewing, here's chapter 10!). ARIGATO! THANK YOU! MERCI! GRACIOUS! 

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The Forbidden Clow Chapter Ten: Caught in the Act

"Because I fell in love with you..."

Syaoran's amber eyes were about as wide as they could possibly get. 'Masaka...She fell in love with me?'

"Sakura...I..."

Sakura took one last look at his astonished face and fled from the tree as fast as her legs would take her, heavy sobs racking her entire body as she ran. 'Why did I tell him? WHY!?'

In the distance she could hear Syaoran's voice calling out to her, but she didn't dare stop. All she needed was to get away; get away from him. 

Get away from everything.

She bolted from the school, dashing all the way to her house. She knew there was no way she could cope with going back to class and having to deal with Syaoran and Meiling. She needed to be home now, where she could just break down and let it all out at once.

The distressed Clow Mistress sped through the front door and only paused long enough to remove her school shoes from her aching feet. Upon entering her room, she flopped down onto her mattress, crying uncontrollably into her soft pink pillow.

A drowsy guardian beast popped his head out from Sakura's desk drawer, having heard her entrance. "Wha? What's all the racket?" he questioned, eyes still half closed.

It took a moment for the diminutive yellow creature to fully awaken, then he realized where the noise was coming from. "Sakura? What's wrong?"

Sakura tried to choke back an oncoming sob. "Could you leave me alone for awhile, Kero-chan?" she requested in a near whisper.

Kero was confused as to why his mistress would push him away. "Did something happen at school?" Anger suddenly flared through the guardian's tiny body. "It was the GAKI, wasn't it!?" Kero seethed, "Why that little...I'll teach him a thing or two."

Without so much as another word, Kero flew out the open window like a speeding bullet, ready to pummel Syaoran to a pulp.

*****************************************

"Kahlm Samari?"

A girl near the front raised her hand. "Hai!"

The teacher went to the next name on the list. "Kinomoto Sakura?"

The room was silent.

The sensei tapped his pencil on his chin. "That's strange...I could have sworn I saw her in the hall earlier this morning."

Syaoran slumped in his chair, gazing sadly at the empty desk in front of him. He was planning on confessing to Sakura right then and there at the oak tree during lunchtime, but it didn't work out. Instead, Sakura confessed to falling in love with him, and then took off before he had the chance to reply.

He sighed in frustration. 'Baka, Baka, BAKA!' he self-chided, giving himself a good smack in the head.

Meiling stole a side-glance at her fiancé, noting to herself how he seemed to be beating himself up about something. 'Probably because he was so rude to me at lunch hour.' she thought with a dreamy smile, 'He must want to apologize to me!'

The young warrior leaned back in his chair, staring out the window as the sensei went on about 'Topics in Japanese Literature'. He could see the oak tree in the distance, shedding a few of its green leaves to the shadowy ground below.

'If only I still had the Time Card.' he thought, 'Then I could fix this whole mess.' He shook his head. 'Demo...that's the coward's way out.'

He sat up straight in his chair. 'You have to meet life head on.' he decided, 'So I'll have to break the news to Meiling, and then patch everything up with Sakura.'

He gave Meiling a woeful look as she hummed a happy tune to herself. 'Gomen, Meiling, but I love Sakura. If only you could except that someday...'

Syaoran knew that Meiling did truly love him, but he also knew that he couldn't lie and say he loved her back. He'd have to tell her the truth, even though he knew how much it would hurt his lovesick cousin. Hopefully she would except his rejection of her and head back to Hong Kong to start a new life.

Then again, this was Meiling. She would most likely scream and pout and blame the entire thing on Sakura.

He breathed heavily in annoyance. He knew precisely how this was going to turn out. He would tell Meiling, she would go into a fit of denial, and then she would probably run off to strangle Sakura. 

However, in order to be free to love his cherished cherry blossom, he would have to somehow snap the small thread that still tied him to his obsessive cousin. He just had to make sure that he found Sakura before she did.

'No matter what happens, I've got to tell Sakura.' he vowed silently, 'That's the most important thing.'

****************************************

Tomoyo placed her arms on the desk, propping up her head with her hands. She was somewhat listening to the lecture, but her mind was elsewhere.

'I wonder where Sakura-chan went?' she thought, glancing at the vacant desk beside her, 'I hope she's alright.'

She took a quick peek behind Sakura's empty desk at Syaoran. 'It was him.' she realized, deciphering the look on his face, 'Li-kun is the reason Sakura-chan's not here.' She narrowed her eyes. 'I'll have a nice talk with him when school lets out.'

****************************************

When the final bell rang, students shuffled out of the classroom, hurrying to extra curricula's or to their homes. Only four of the students hung around, packing their materials more slowly and taking their leisurely amount of time to leave the building.

The raven-haired girl of the bunch clamped onto the amber-eyed boy's arm, hugging it for dear life. "Syaoran!" she squealed happily, "What do you want to do now that school is out?"

He gagged, feeling uneasy about her close proximity. "I need to talk to you, Meiling." he spoke emotionlessly.

"I KNEW IT!" she cheered gleefully, her twisted little mind thinking that he was going to apologize to her.

Tomoyo stopped Syaoran with a glare and an outstretched hand. "Just a minute, Li-kun. I have something to discuss with you too."

He bowed his head shamefully. "I know what you need to talk to me about, Daidouji-san, but I really need to talk to Meiling first."

Meiling smiled proudly and Tomoyo nodded. "Fine." she said rather coldly, "I'll give you a few minutes to chat with your fiancée, but then you and I need to have a serious talk."

He nodded in agreement and Tomoyo went off to converse with Eriol for the time being. 

Meanwhile, Syaoran pulled Meiling out of the classroom and into the hallway. Once they had reached a rather secluded area, Syaoran pried his arm out of her iron grip and stood in front of her. 

However, Meiling had her own ideas. She grabbed one of his free hands, grinning from ear to ear. "You really don't have to apologize, Syaoran. I understand."

Syaoran's eyes turned into dots, a sweat-drop forming along the side of his head. "Apologize? Apologize for what?"

Meiling stopped grinning. "You mean...you weren't going to apologize for the things you said to me at lunch?"

He shook his head to affirm her theory. "Gomen, Meiling, but I'm not apologizing for that. I only wanted to tell you to go back to Hong Kong and formally break off our engagement to the elders."

Meiling was completely silent for a moment, then a look of mortification washed over her face. "Y-You're kidding, right? You can't seriously mean that, Syaoran! You promised!"

Syaoran put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm really sorry, Meiling, but I don't love you that way. I love you as a cousin. I was six when I made that promise, Meiling. I had no idea what I was doing or saying." He sighed. "Look, don't make this harder than it already is. Just get on with your life and forget about me."

Streams of wet, glistening tears poured from her ruby eyes, some falling to the marble floor below. "But you promised me! You're a liar, Syaoran! LIAR, LIAR, LIAR!!!"

"Please understand, Meiling! I-"

"You 'WHAT', Syaoran?!" she spat, "You found someone else to love, is that it?!"

He nodded gradually, wondering how this was going to play out.

"I knew it..." she mumbled, feeling rejected, "It's that Kinomoto girl, isn't it?"

He paused for a second, then nodded again. "Don't get mad, Meiling, it's-"

"IT'S ALL HER FAULT!" Meiling screamed, her voice echoing through the school's hallway, "SHE TOOK YOU AWAY FROM ME! SHE POISONED YOUR MIND! THAT BI-"

Syaoran lost his temper. "STOP IT, MEILING!" he interrupted, "IT'S NOT SAKURA'S FAULT, IT'S MINE!"

Angry tears rolled down her flushed cheeks. "IT'S HER FAULT! EVERYTHING IS HER FAULT!" Meiling stormed toward the entrance doors. "I'LL TEAR HER APART, LIMB FROM LIMB!" she shouted, as the door slammed behind her.

Syaoran slumped to the ground, placing a hand on his forehead. 'That went worse than I thought it would.'

A few seconds later, Tomoyo and Eriol emerged from the classroom, making their way over to the disgruntled Syaoran.

Tomoyo looked around curiously. "Where's Meiling?" she questioned, "She was with you, wasn't she?"

Syaoran looked up, just now realizing that Tomoyo and Eriol were standing there. "We had a...disagreement." he explained, "She blew a gasket and stormed off."

Tomoyo raised an eyebrow. "A disagreement?"

"I broke off my engagement to her."

The videographer crossed her arms. "Oh, I see. Breaking Sakura-chan's heart wasn't enough for you. You had to break Meiling's too."

"You don't understand, Daidouji-san."

Tomoyo waved him off. "Oh, I understand well enough, Li-kun."

Syaoran was about to lose his temper again, but Eriol stopped him before he could blow. "Before you explode, dear descendant of mine, kindly explain to me what's going on." Eriol requested.

Syaoran blinked, letting his anger die away. "Well, to tell you the truth, I don't love Meiling, at least, not the way she wants me to." he elucidated, "I can't marry someone I don't truly love, so I broke off the engagement, informally for now."

Syaoran paused and Tomoyo took the opportunity to step in. "What does this have to do with Sakura-chan?" she questioned.

Syaoran really didn't want to get into that subject, but he realized that he had to. He knew Tomoyo was worried sick about her best friend and he was sure Eriol was concerned as well. 'Besides, how am I going to confess to Sakura if I can't even tell these two?' he thought.

He took a deep breath. "Sakura and I met at lunchtime and I tried to explain the situation about Meiling. I wasn't really sure how to clear up the whole 'engagement' mess, and I apparently upset Sakura. That's when she......."

"When she...?" Tomoyo pried.

"She said she was in love with me!" Syaoran blurted, feeling his cheeks warm at the recollection.

Tomoyo and Eriol looked equally shocked, but Tomoyo was the first to find her voice. "She...She confessed?" Suddenly, a new anger rose within the usually kind costume designer. "You REJECTED her, didn't you!?" 

Eriol had to hold Tomoyo back from attacking Syaoran on the spot. 

"NO!" the troubled male Cardcaptor insisted, "She ran away before I could say a word!"

Tomoyo calmed slightly, ceasing her struggle from the British boy's grip. "Then what are you planning on doing, Li-kun?"

"What I planned on doing ever since I asked her to meet me at the oak tree." he answered simply.

"What?"

Syaoran's face took on the familiar warmth. "Tell her that I love her."

"Well it's about damn time." Eriol muttered.

"By the way..." Tomoyo cut in, "Where DID Meiling go?"

Syaoran froze. "KUSO! I totally forgot about her!" he cursed, "She went looking for Sakura."

Tomoyo rolled her eyes. "What a genius you are, Li-kun." she drawled sarcastically, "Let Sakura-chan get beat up by your ex-fiancée while we stand here and chat."

Syaoran dashed swiftly down the hall. "I'll get there before she does!" he called, "She doesn't know where Sakura lives anyway."

****************************************

Along his marathon to Sakura's house, Syaoran was pelted in the side of the head with a large yellow bullet.

"Itai!" he yelled, rubbing the new bump on his head.

The yellow bullet revealed itself to be the false form of Kerberus, Guardian Beast of the Clow Book's Seal. "And that's just the start of what I'm going to do to you!"

Syaoran blinked. "Stuffed animal?"

Kero raised a golden paw/fist. "It's 'KERBERUS' you good-for-nothing Chinese GAKI!!!"

Syaoran waved the little creature away. "Not now, stuffed animal, I've got something important to take care of."

As Syaoran took off, steam shot out from Kero's ears at having been ignored. "Come back here you gaki!" he yelled, beating his wings to catch up with the rapidly-running Syaoran, "You hurt Sakura and you're gonna pay!"

"I'm going to fix that mistake!" Syaoran replied, picking up his pace.

"Matte!" Kero called, desperately trying to keep up with the warrior's speed, "Don't go near my Mistress, gaki!"

Syaoran ignored the golden creature and continued his wild dash for the Cherry Blossom's house, leaving the little guy on the pavement of the sidewalk, wings drooping and breathing rather heavily.

*****************************************

Sakura was running out of tears to cry. She'd been sobbing and crying uncontrollably for the last couple of hours and now her well of salty liquid was bone dry. She sniffled, hugging her pillow in an attempt to comfort herself.

"I hate Mondays..." she choked, another sob tearing apart her throat.

She started reminiscing on the past couple of weeks and all the adventures she and Syaoran had together. It tore her heart out.

They had become so close to one another. So close that Sakura almost thought he might have liked her too.

But it was all just a cruel illusion.

In reality, Syaoran had a fiancée. He'd kept that secret from her the whole time she'd known him. He led her on all those years. And she, not even questioning him at all, fell head over heels in love with him.

"I'm such a fool." she whispered, "Such a fool for falling in love with you, Syaoran."

Despite her low supply, a new wave of fresh tears poured down her face, soaking into her pillow as they rolled off her chin.

"I thought I could trust you...I'm so baka..."

And worst of all, even in the midst of her sorrow, she still loved him. Perhaps even more than before. Everything that had happened was just forcing her deeper and deeper in love with him.

And it hurt so much.

Images of the kiss floated through her clouded mind, reminding her of how it felt for his lips to touch hers. And the way he would smile at her in such a gentle, caring way. How his eyes could entrance her with a single glance. The way he would speak her name...

It haunted her mind. The facade she once called Syaoran. He had even led her to believe that he was denouncing his Clan for her, that he was giving up everything just to stay in Japan.

Demo...Was she wrong? Maybe Syaoran had a good reason for all of this. She recalled him saying that he didn't want to hurt her. And she ran away before he had the chance to say anything else.

She had to be wrong. Deep down, she knew Syaoran would never intentionally harm her or hurt her feelings. He wouldn't possibly do something like that. After knowing him for six years, she knew what a kind heart he had.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

Sakura almost jumped from the abrupt noise upon her bedroom door. 'Who could that possibly be?' She sighed when a certain golden mouse-like creature with wings popped into her mind. "Kero-chan, I asked you to leave me alone."

"It's me." Syaoran's unmistakable voice answered.

Sakura gasped out loud. 'How did he get in?' She sighed. 'Oh yeah, I forgot to lock the door.' She became angry as her earlier suspicions came to mind. "GO AWAY!" she yelled, her voice slightly muffled by her pillow.

He wasn't going to give up that easily. "Sakura, please...I have something I need to tell you."

"I don't want your wedding invitation!" she spat.

"I know I neglected to tell you about Meiling." he admitted, "But please trust me, Sakura."

Her face twisted in disgust. "How could I ever trust you again?" 

"I know I made a big mistake, Sakura." he spoke reproachfully, "I don't deserve your trust at all, but I have to tell you something."

Sakura suddenly remembered what she'd been thinking about right before Syaoran knocked on her door. Now she could give him the opportunity to confer his reason for the whole mess.

"C-Come in." she stammered.

The door creaked open slowly and Syaoran walked into her room, quietly shutting the door behind him.

He wanted to beat himself with a steel pole for hurting her this much. By the looks of it, she'd been crying for quite some time. Her hair was laid about her pillow in tangled disarray and stained pools covered the cottony fabric of the pink pillowcase below her head.

Syaoran bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Sakura. For everything. As for Meiling, I-"

"You don't have to explain that again, Syaoran." she interceded, sitting up, "I already know."

"I broke off my engagement to her." Syaoran stated.

Sakura's mouth dropped open. "You-You what?"

"It's true." he confirmed, "I told Meiling that the engagement was off."

"But...why?" Sakura questioned, unable to find a suitable reason for the sudden disjunction of him and Meiling.

His amber eyes locked with hers. "Do you want to know the real reason?"

Gazing into his eyes, Sakura suddenly felt that she could trust him. "Yes."

Syaoran closed the distance between them, and after sitting on the bed next to her, he wrapped her slim form into a gentle hug. "Because I love you, Sakura." he whispered huskily into her ear.

She had to be dreaming. Syaoran loved her? She was the reason he broke his engagement with Meiling?

"Hontou?" she asked.

He pulled back from the embrace to face her. "You don't trust me?" he teased.

"Demo...demo..."

He placed his index finger on her lips. "No buts, Sakura." He gave her an almost seductive smile. "I'll show you how much I love you." (NO you hentais! Not like THAT).

He swiftly pressed his lips against hers, firmly locking them together in a tender yet vigorous kiss. He had almost forgotten what a sweet strawberry-like taste her lips held. 

Sakura let him do the work. She merely drowned in the sensation of feeling his lips upon hers again. It seemed like so long since the first time they engaged in liplock. 

He was much bolder now. And kissed with more passion than she deemed possible. She thought that maybe she'd heard his words incorrectly, but his kiss told a whole different story.

****************************************

The ruby-eyed teen searched for nearly half an hour, until she finally had the sense to ask someone where the "Kinomotos" lived.

Now she stood at the front door of a medium-sized yellow house, unsure of what to do. She thought of knocking or ringing the doorbell, but she had the feeling that no one was home except for Sakura. After another moment of silent debating, she opened the front door and went inside, immediately heading for the stairway.

When she reached the top of the stairwell, she heard noise coming from the first door on the left. She creeped up to the door and placed her ear against it, eavesdropping on the conversation inside.

"I'll show you how much I love you."

Meiling gasped. She would recognize that voice anywhere. 

Syaoran was in that room.

Instead of throwing the door open, like she had originally planned, she slowly edged the door ajar and peeked through the three or four inch crack she had created.

Meiling's eyes broadened into saucers and she stifled a shriek.

Right there, on what she guessed was Kinomoto's bed, Syaoran was kissing Sakura.She felt her eyes begin to water. As much as she didn't want to admit it, this situation didn't look like Kinomoto's fault at all. From what she could see, it looked like Syaoran's.

He was the one with his arms seraped around Sakura's form and he seemed to be the one doing the kissing. Sakura simply sat there as far as Meiling could tell. 'So Syaoran was telling me the truth?' she wondered, 'He really loves her?'

She kept vigil a little longer and stuck her tongue out in disgust. 'It looks more like he's trying to eat her face.' she thought, sickened by his display of affection.

****************************************

Sakura's eyes snapped open when she heard a small sound come from the door. She took a glance in that direction and felt her eyes go very wide.

Meiling's face was peering through a large crack in the doorway, apparently revolted by what she was seeing.

However, Syaoran didn't seem to notice. He was too busy making sucking sounds against Sakura's mouth to realize that his former fiancée was watching him from the door.

Sakura tried to pull away from the busy young warrior, gently at first. "Mmmph!" she mumbled, trying to push away from his strong embrace.

In response to Sakura's resistance, the male Cardcaptor pulled her closer and only disengaged his lips long enough to say, "I'm not finished yet." and refastened his lips over hers again.

Meiling almost laughed at the scene before her. She never thought Syaoran could be so...clingy. 'Poor Kinomoto...' she chuckled, 'She'll never win against Syaoran's sheer power.'

Something clicked in the raven-haired girl's brain when she saw the two of them together. She hated to admit it, but it looked like they belonged together. And something inside her jealous heart told her to except it. 'Syaoran didn't really like me that much anyway.' she thought, 'But despite his obvious disinterest, I clung to him all the time.' She sighed. 'I guess it's best for him to be happy. And if Kinomoto fulfills that role, I suppose I'll just have to let them be together.'

Sakura was still occupied with trying to alert Syaoran to his cousin's presence. "MMMPPHHHHHH MEI-MMMPHHH!"

However.......Syaoran still didn't seem to want to let go.

Meiling couldn't take it anymore. She burst out laughing and fell to the carpeted floor, accidentally pushing the door wide open.

Syaoran finally pulled away from Sakura to find out who was laughing so hard. When he saw his cousin and ex-fiancée rolling with laughter on the floor, he raised an eyebrow. 'Is that Meiling? Or am I seeing things?'

Sakura was completely dumbfounded. She thought Meiling would be furious by this point. Her eyes turned into anime dots. "Hoe?" 

The crimson-eyed teen regained her composure and stood up, still chuckling lightly to herself. "I've seen a whole new side of Syaoran."

Syaoran's face began to turn red. "Y-You saw that, Meiling?" he choked.

"That's what I was trying to tell you, Syaoran." Sakura explained, "But you wouldn't really give me the chance to say anything."

Meiling smiled in Syaoran's direction. "I saw the whole thing."

Sakura sighed and Syaoran swallowed a huge lump in his throat.

Meiling tapped a finger to her chin and set her gaze upon her ex-fiancé. "I have a question for you, Syaoran."

He nodded, swallowing yet another lump.

The ruby-eyed Chinese girl grinned. "Were you kissing Kinomoto, or trying to eat her face?"

Syaoran's face heated up to somewhere around 300 degrees farenheight, turning his skin to a dark crimson color. He held out a shaky fist toward his widely-grinning, raven-haired cousin. "T-T-T-That's none of your business, Meiling! You shouldn't be spying on people!!!"

"Oh, but it was SO funny!" Meiling continued, amused by her amber-eyed cousin's reaction, "The way Kinomoto kept trying to pull away from you. Jeez Syaoran, I never knew you were so desperate and persistent!"

Sakura blinked, still confused about the whole ordeal. "I thought you would be mad, Meiling." 

"Oh, I was at first." Meiling admitted, "But then I realized just how kawaii you two looked together, and I decided to let bygones be bygones."

Sakura smiled brightly. "Arigato, Meiling-chan!"

Meiling waved her index finger reprovingly at the Card Mistress. "Don't get all soft on me now, Kinomoto-san!" she chided, "And don't let Syaoran push you into doing anything you don't want to do!"

The red color reinhabited the warrior's face and he turned his head away with a grunt.

Sakura blushed a pinkish color too, even though she didn't really understand what Meiling was saying (she's dense, remember?). "H-Hai." 

Meiling dusted her hands approvingly. "Well, my job is done. I'll leave you guys alone for awhile, so Syaoran can continue sucking on your face."

Syaoran morphed into an angry tomato. "MEILING!"

Meiling sweat-dropped and shook her hands in front of her. "Just kidding, just kidding."

She gave a quick wink to her cousin and left Sakura's room, shutting the door behind her. Syaoran and Sakura let out a sigh simultaneously.

"I thought she was going to kill me." Sakura mumbled.

"That certainly wasn't what I was expecting from her." Syaoran agreed.

Something near the pillow caught Sakura's eye. "What are these?" With a closer look at them, she recognized the white backs almost immediately. "WHOA! Black Clow Cards!" she exclaimed, picking them up off the bed.

Syaoran looked over her shoulder. "Are you sure?"

She put them in his view. "Yes! Look at them all!"

Sakura started reading off the cards one by one. "The Attract, The Growth, The Emotion, The Fear, The Wild, The Charm, The Knowledge, The Luck, and The Evil."

"Nine cards altogether." Syaoran counted.

"But how did we seal them?" she wondered out loud, "I'm going to need to talk to Kero-chan about this..."

How did you all like the chapter? I though it might be funny for Meiling to find them kissing, but instead of getting angry, accept the inevitable. What did you think, Minna-san? ^.^ Review please! I'd be very grateful. 

The disaster is about to strike! Stay tuned! ~Manda-chan


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